The Remnant Reactor
by KtyouVsWriting
Summary: Stark Industries, the number one manufacturer of weapons in the world of Remnant. It's CEO and head is Anthony Edward Stark, or simply Tony Stark. He has enough fame and fortune to rival even the Schnee Dust Company, and he accomplished this all in the span of a measly few year. He's also known as a womanizer and a man of genius intellect. That's what's known to the general public.
1. STRIKING A DEAL

**CHAPTER 1: STRIKING A DEAL**

**Earth, Solar System**

** United States of America**

** Manhattan, New York City**

** February 10th, 1992**

Anthony Edward Stark. That was his full name, but he never really cared much to use it or to hear it. Tony Stark was his preferred and go-to name; everyone called him that and it was such a regular thing now. His family, his friends, the press, the Stark Industries board members, even a normal person on the street. At this point, the world may as well have forgotten his actual birth name, but it wasn't like many people cared.

Such random thoughts with little importance always tended to be swirling within the prodigal genius. It was one of his many ways of coping with his parents' deaths. Even after nearly two months, he still avoided thinking about them any more than he needed to, but there were times that he slipped up.

Howard was always a pain in the ass, but the man was brilliant and good at what he did. Even if their relationship really did suck, Tony always wanted to believe that his father could be impressed. The fact that he cared so much about his father's opinion had to mean that at the very least he admired him. As for his mother, Maria Stark, she did what she could to keep it all together, somehow making it work. The young man didn't know how she did it, but it was impressive. In any event, he missed her so much. Without her, he probably would have long since stopped trying to talk to his father, and unlike his father, she was actually around and their relationship was decent.

To endure, he found himself working constantly. Either he was working on his tech or he was busy getting acquainted with the more intimate details of Stark Industries. He was going to become the new CEO of his father's company one way or another. It was expected of him and in a way, he found this to be just fine with him. He was now in control of his own destiny and he would continue the Stark legacy by making the company into the premiere weapons manufacturer in the United States and, if at all possible, the world. That wasn't simple wishful thinking. That was what he was going to do. That's what Howard had been planning. Tony would just make it into a reality. In that way, he would show his father just what he could do. He wasn't just a genius inventor, playboy, and soon-to-be-billionaire for nothing. He would become THE number one inventor, playboy, and billionaire.

And speaking of his future, there was also the matter of constructing a new home. There was no way that he was going to continue living in the house that he had spent most of his life in. As long as he stayed here, he would always think about them. He needed to keep himself from those memories. That time had passed now.

Tony turned his head to realize that Jarvis, the family butler, had left him with a cup of coffee as well as some oreos. The man looked at the two items and then found his stomach growling. He then glanced at the clock and realized that he had been working for the better part of six hours without doing anything else. Sighing to himself, he stood up and downed the coffee in one go and then began snacking on the cookies. He really needed to make sure that he got up and did something else. Sure, he needed to keep his mind occupied, but there wouldn't be a point to anything if he ended up dying too.

He eyed the device he was working on. The Arc Reactor was one of the more unusual and atypical projects to come out of Stark Industries. It was supposed to be a power plant with the capacity to generate nearly limitless energy. That was something that the world sorely needed at this time. With the mounting prices of oil and the realization that it would not last, Stark Industries had come up with the Arc Reactor as a solution to that problem, but considering that the company was a weapons manufacturer, the project was put on the back burner. Really, the only reason that it probably would even be a thing was so that the environmentalists and the hippies would shut their mouths. That would be one less badmouther that Stark Industries would have to listen to.

The reason Tony was tinkering with the Arc Reactor now was because there was something to it that seemed off about it. There was nothing wrong with any aspect of the renewable power plant. He had read and digested the theoretical literature and deduced that it would serve its intended purpose well. That being said, it felt incomplete somehow, like there was something that was intentionally left out, and that made even less sense in light of how well the Arc Reactor held up under scrutiny. To even a person with his level of intellect, it all made perfect sense, but if Tony knew his father well, then this couldn't possibly be the end game. It was just too easy.

Howard Stark was many things, but short-sighted was not one of them. While the Arc Reactor would be revolutionary to be sure to the general public, it was ultimately a short-term project, something that might last a few decades at most, but likely not be anything more that just a prototype. That begged the question: what was the true purpose of this thing? What was it meant to do?

It was a self-imposed mystery, and Tony Stark intended to solve it, but he wasn't going in blind. He had gone through some old files that Howard had kept hidden safe. Everything from tape recordings to journals and blueprints to even old films, and there was lots of info to sort through. So far, he had only gotten through some preliminary notes detailing the very first stages of development. The notes were somewhere jumbled but they were pointing to the Arc Reactor being the progeny of something much more grand. It was strange that he was just figuring this out now of all times.

Finishing up his break, he checked the time again. It was one in the morning. Although he didn't feel tired, he would probably not last that much longer on coffee and munchees alone. He had not gotten proper sleep for at least a week due to this recent obsession with this project. A few more minutes and it would be lights out for him.

The genius prodigy swiftly resumed his work. He had a real mess to clean up once he was done. Between the stacked notes, files, journals, and other odd objects belonging to his father and the parts and tools scattered as well as the completed Arc Reactor, this could take the better part of another hour to clean, much longer than his few minutes to wrap things up and go to bed. He sighed a bit; he could be really messy at times, but he wasn't going to think too hard about it. Right now, it was time to turn on the reactor and run it through a few cycles. He had done the work, calculated carefully, and now he was ready to figure out what exactly was behind this mystery.

Tony walked around one more time to double-check his work. Once he was satisfied, he flipped some safety switches on. After this, he moved to the wall, flipping on a power switch. At first, nothing happened, but considering the size of this thing, it would take a bit of time to get it up and running. A few seconds turned to half a minute, then a minute. The reactor began to glow a bright blue. The power surging through it began to whirl with noise. It was almost magic the way it worked, but for him, it was simply the sound of a job well done. It was working, and that's what mattered the most.

"And you conceived of this thing before I was even born." Tony spoke to his father. "Pretty good for an old man. It's almost like you were a genius."

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw the reactor begin to erupt with even more energy. The surge could almost be felt, like something shaking around about to burst. That was definitely not part of, well, anything. He watched carefully with trained eyes, searching for the problem. He thought back to all of his work. He couldn't recall a single instance where he had second thoughts about. Everything was perfectly fine. He measured the materials meticulously, he did everything right. He'd made sure that everything was nominal before activating it. Where did he go wrong? He hadn't done a single thing wrong, so what was going on?

He flipped the power switch off, but it was too late now. The reactor had been given enough juice for it to become self-sustaining, even in the short time that it had been receiving it. His thoughts becoming more desperate, he raced to the switches on the reactor. There was only one way that he knew to stop this thing that didn't involve physically damaging the reactor or himself.

"The core." He said. "If I can just-"

Yeah, easier said than done. He might as well be trying to stop a speeding train, but hell, if he didn't do something, things would get really messy. He wasn't going to take this lying down.

It was unfortunate that the choice to do anything was no longer in his hands. The Arc Reactor seemed to glow brighter than the sun itself before exploding into a fantastic energy blast.

Well… he was about to die. He wasn't ready for this.

Not at all.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

** Remnant, System Unknown**

** Kingdom of Vale**

** Beacon Academy, City of Vale**

** February 10th, 56 AGW**

Ozpin wasn't quite sure what to make of what was in front of him, and considering what he had seen in his lifetime, that was saying something. It wasn't that long ago that he was simply going through another day's work of paperwork and other legal stuff. As Headmaster of Beacon Academy, he had duties not only to the academy but also the Council of the Kingdom of Vale. He was one of the members of the council after all, and as such, his words carried significant influence in the kingdom.

Now, the only thing that occupied his mind was the clutter that suddenly came into his office. Books, journals, papers, tools, technology, things that would be found in a scientist's laboratory. At the heart of it all, there lied a man, who looked no older than the body he was in right now. Dark brown hair adorned his head, a slim but defined body, a shirt that had the words _Stark Industries_. A normal person would have screamed or fled, but Ozpin took this in stride, careful not to disturb anything that had come in.

His steps from his desk to the man lying on the ground were light but not in an attempt to be stealthy, merely to avoid touching anything. Once he reached the side of the man, he carefully touched a hand to him for a sign of life. He could feel a heartbeat, but this man didn't have aura on him at all.

Ozpin decided that the best way to get this man up and talking was to start his aura, so he concentrated hard, calling upon his powers to jumpstart this man's aura. It didn't take long and a golden-red aura surrounded them man. It was only a mere second later that the man woke up, breathing hard and groaning.

"Ahh!" Brown eyes awoke to him, taking ragged breaths. "What the hell?!"

"Are you okay?" Ozpin asked carefully.

"What just happened?" The man looked him in the eye. "Please tell me nobody kissed me."

This man was strange. He was waking up in a situation was abnormal and his first reaction was this? That took an unusual kind of person. Shrugging off something like being in an alien place wasn't exactly easy. That would make this introduction all the more easier in any case.

"No, I've simply unlocked your aura." Ozpin replied back. "You should be fine."

"Aura? I don't know what that means." The man gazed at Ozpin as if he was insane. "The only aura I know about is the characteristic that surrounds a person. Your aura? I'm getting the 'wise old man' vibe. My aura? Genius, billionaire, playboy, and overall famous dude."

"Then why haven't I heard of you?" Ozpin carefully retorted back.

"Come on, everyone knows me." He began to get up. "I'm Tony Stark, son of Howard Stark, the guy who created… well… Stark Industries."

"None of those names ring a bell." Ozpin shook his head.

"Jesus Christ, man." The man called Tony Stark laid back down. "You'd have to be either living under a rock or be an alien to not know who I am."

He wasn't lying, or at the very least, he believed what he was saying. That indicated sanity. He said his name was Tony Stark, so he was just going to believe him until given a reason to not believe.

Wait… an alien…

"... does the word Remnant mean anything to you?" Ozpin inquired after a moment of thought.

"Remnant?." Tony frowned. "Other than how the word is defined in the dictionary, not really? Is it a drug?"

That instantly confirmed something within the old wizard's mind. If this world of Remnant didn't even register in this man's mind, then it entirely plausible that this man was not of this world. If that was the case, then this might be an opportunity of a lifetime.

"Can you stand?" Ozpin queried.

"Relax, buddy, even though you're not my buddy." Tony stood up and tested himself out. "But damn do I feel good. What is this anyway? What'd you do to me?"

"Like I said, it's called Aura. It's the physical manifestation of the soul, a power if you will." Ozpin explained concretely. "It gives us the ability to protect ourselves from harm as well as enhance combat skills."

"Yeah… do you think I was born yesterday?" Tony looked at him like he was stupid. "A soul is immaterial, spiritual, not physical. You can't generate anything from something that doesn't exist physically or otherwise."

Clearly a man of science and logic, this one. The finality, the tone of voice that indicated confidence in his ability, like his word was supposed to be heard and acknowledged without question. Logical types had a tendency to follow only what was logical, but the world was anything but always logical. In some cases, the only way to make the world make sense was to force it to make sense, and even then, it did not make it factual, merely truthful in the eyes of the beholder. Even logical people were fallible in that sense.

"Perhaps not, but the reality is that it works." Ozpin conveyed with his own finality. "If you need proof, just look at yourself."

The man looked at one of the windows around the tower. His aura was still glowing, likely still trying to fix some issues. The brown-haired man walked up to the glass and stared at himself for a while. Seconds ticked by while the headmaster remain where he was, letting his newest acquaintance figure things out. The silence came and went quickly, though.

"Nice colors, really gets the point across how golden I am, but there's something else. I don't recognize anything down there." Tony turned back. "Do you have a map?"

"Right here." Ozpin brought up the map of the Kingdom of Vale. "See anything interesting?"

The younger man took one look at the map. His mood shifted from surprise to confusion to analytical to grim all in the span of less than ten seconds. If that told anything, his mind moved really fast and that he processed information much faster than the average person did. Those eyes only darted around the map for another few seconds before coming to a halt, then turning back to the millennia-old man.

"I don't recognize anything." Tony shook his head. "I've studied the Earth before and I don't even see a continent that looks familiar."

"Earth?" Ozpin asked.

"Are you serious?" Tony rounded on him. "It's the world where us humans live on. You know, our home?"

"No, Mankind has only existed on Remnant." Ozpin disagreed immediately. "I don't know anything about an Earth, but this is Remnant."

"Look here, Wizard of Oz, this is Earth." Tony got right up in his face. "E. A. R. T. H. There is no such thing as planet Remnant. NASA hasn't even named a planet Remnant, so whatever you're smoking, take it somewhere else."

Ozpin frowned at this rather blatant and disrespectful tone that Tony had taken with him. It had been a while since someone had been so blunt with him, so rude. It was made all the more incomprehensive with a bunch of terms that he had never heard of before. He was certain that he had never met this man before, and yet the name Wizard of Oz was so close. It was an uncanny valley so to speak.

"My name is Ozpin."

"Brilliant. Now where's the scarecrow. Where's the tin man? Where's the good witch? Where's the lion? Where's Dorothy? Where's the evil witch? You can't have the Wizard of Oz without the rest of the cast."

Again, terms that meant nothing to immortal man by themselves, but there were people with names that reminded him of those terms.

Qrow Branwen. James Ironwood. Glynda Goodwitch. Leonardo Lionheart.

Salem.

"Okay, better question, Oz." Tony pointed into the night sky. "What's with the moon? The last I checked, the moon was whole."

"The moon has been in pieces for thousands of years." Ozpin stated. "That's a common fact on Remnant."

"Don't mess with me. If you throw another moon joke at me, I'm really going to lose my cool here." Tony growled. "Now are you gonna cut the act or am I gonna have to start crackin' skulls?"

"Clearly, you don't believe a word I've said." Ozpin sighed as he put his cane back on his desk. "I suppose the only thing that'll placate you is physical proof."

"That'd be a start." Tony gestured all around them. "Plus, you know maybe somewhere else to store my tech? This stuff isn't exactly cheap."

"One step at a time. First, you require proof, so I will give you proof."

"This'll be good."

That clear skepticism was a clear indication of just how tough this game was going to be. Frankly speaking, there was no reason to do this at all. As far as important things, this was minor, a distraction in the grand scheme of the world. That being said, helping others came with the territory of being a huntsman, and it would be hypocrisy to preach of being a good Samaritan to his students and not to practice those same preachings himself.

_I may need more coffee._

* * *

**RWBY - - - Iron Man**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Vale**

**Beacon Academy, City of Vale**

**February 10th, 56 AGW**

Tony watched the footage on the holographic screen. He had done so about a dozen times now, trying desperately to find out where the truths ended and the lies began, but everything shown was the real deal. Edited footage in his time was still a new concept, but still a reality all the same. That was why he was searching for anything in this footage that pointed to all of this being a delusion or someone drugging him or just him being out of his mind. Perhaps he had been drinking too much lately.

The Creatures of Grimm, the bane of Mankind's existence in this world. They were black creatures of varying types that had one purpose: to annihilate the living. They couldn't possibly be mistaken and the footage had shown just how ruthless and savage the beasts could be. People were ripped apart, clawed, eaten whole, bloodied, crushed, and so much more. It was almost enough to make him turn away.

Then there was the Faunus, people that resembled humans but had one animal feature that made them stand out. Predictably, they were the subject of racism and prejudice by much of Mankind, and he wasn't exactly a stranger to racism. He had seen more than enough of it during his time at school. Hell, even Rhodey faced it one time or another, and the times the Stark heir had seen it was more than enough for him to hate it. There was also the advice that his father had told him: prejudice was the bane of business. It payed to be cooperative with other nations. Creating world peace involved knowing people, respecting people, even liking people when the time was right. So in conclusion, Faunus were just people with some extra parts and some cool sensory abilities.

The third was the way the world worked. There were only four real world powers in this world. Atlas, Mistral, Vacuo, and Vale. Each kingdom had its strengths and weaknesses to be sure. Atlas was known for innovation and technology, which would have been awesome if it weren't for the fact that the kingdom resided on an iceberg of a continent. Mistral was the center of culture and high society with immense respect for nature; it sounded like a cool vacation spot. Vacuo was a pit of sand that represented hell basically, being little more than a place where the rough and tough lifestyle ruled all. The only good thing that came out of it was resources, lots of resources. Vale was a moderate society, being the most 'normal' out of all the others. It had a bit of everything and was generally a pleasant place with no real extremes to speak of.

The huntsman academies were training warriors to fight Grimm and defend mankind. It was like reading a comic book. In essence, huntsmen worked like special forces in the US Armed Forces. They were the exceptional warriors that could take on high-risk mission no other soldier was capable of doing. Their presence were numerous, yet still dwarfed by the numbers of conventional armies. There were four academies to train them: Atlas, Beacon, Haven, and Shade, one in each kingdom. That seemed way to convenient for some reason, but the genius couldn't put his finger on what bothered him. It just seemed like all of this was too carefully planned, like some larger goal in mind.

And probably the most interesting subject to him was dust. It was the main power source of Remnants' inhabitants. It powered all of their technology and there simply wasn't any other way that people knew of. Again, this seemed too good to be true. How could the world only know of one power source? There was thousands of years of history to be sure, and in all of that time, no one had given thought to an alternative? Not even a single alternative source of power? That just screamed dangerous and suspicious.

The other intriguing thing was the Cross Continental Transmit System. Essentially, it was a network comprised of four towers that linked the kingdoms together. It was like the world wide web of this world. These towers kept communication lines as well as provided access to digital information. It was amazing, yet also quite stupid. If one of the towers went down, the entire network would go down. That would leave the kingdoms vulnerable. What if someone wanted to make a war happen? All they had to do was take down one tower, cause a bit of chaos in one kingdom, and that was it.

All of this information was abundant, yet Tony carefully digested it. It was true, all of it. He really was in a different world. In a way, he felt amazed. He had accomplished what no other person on Earth had done. The people at NASA would literally wet themselves at the chance to do something like this. Simultaneously, he was irked. Nothing was familiar anymore, and while learning this world wasn't hard per say, it would still take at least some time, even for someone of his high IQ. There was no telling when he was going to be able to go back, or if he was even able to go back.

_Would I even want to go back?_ Tony wondered to himself. _I mean, yeah the company's waiting for me, but it's not like it won't survive without me. Obi's probably gonna have a PR nightmare on his hands, but he's good. Rhodey was already on his way to going far in the Air Force. And mom and dad are gone..._

His own grief aside, maybe the idea of making a mark on this world without any previous street cred was something that appealed to him. It would be like starting with a clean slate. No expectations, no pressure, absolutely nothing holding him back. He could do whatever he wanted and there was not a damn thing anyone could do to stop him. That kind of made him very giddy, and he didn't do giddy.

But if he was going to stay here, he was going to have to justify his reason as well as prove his competence. That wasn't going to be a problem. Already, his mind were working the numerous ways that he could make a killing in this world. This world was in desperate need of assurance that it would live to see the next day. With his expertise in robotics and physics as well as his intimate knowledge of advanced weapons, he could practically reshape how this world fought in war.

Not only that, but considering the number of huntsmen in this world, he could also dominate the market there as well. The killers of Grimm really did demand some of the best gear in all of the world in order to fight at their best. Becoming the primary supplier of huntsmen around Remnant was more than just making profit. He would be gaining favor and loyalty with them. That may as well be a trump card.

As impossible as all of this sounded now, they were now goals in Tony's mind now. It would more challenging than simply taking up the mantle of CEO from an already-established company. He would be creating his own legacy without the past dictating how he did it. Granted, some of it involved emulating ideas that were already a reality, but he would bring innovation and introduce new ideas into the mix too.

"Now the question is how to secure the capital." Tony's mind began to work out the numbers. "I'll need at least a few million to really get things going, but getting it without an ID is gonna be tough. New tech will have to wait until I gain a thorough understanding of the laws of this world as well as dust."

Thankfully, the days and months were the same somehow, which baffled Tony to no end. How was that even a coincidence? It was like someone had made this world basing it off his own reality. Another strange thing. For now, he needed to gain some backers and convince them that his plan was going to work. No, not convince them it was going to work. He was going to tell them that it would work.

_Let's see if old man Oz is willing to play ball._ Tony thought to himself. _Wait, is baseball a sport here? If it isn't I should introduce it. That ought to be fun._

Man, there was just so much that he could do here. It was enough to make him forget about everything that had happened and focus on doing what he did best. The worlds might be different, but ultimately, what happened mirrored Earth's own conflicts, and he understood his home world's problems just fine. He knew that Stark Industries dealt in the business of death and that didn't really bother him. Sure, war wasn't fun, but it was necessary, and it was better to be armed to the teeth and never have to use force rather than being unprepared and caught with no pants on.

Oh, but before he could do anything else, he watched the footage once more. He needed to be 1000% sure that he wasn't going nuts. All of those drinks he'd been having lately had him seeing things. Even in a sober state, the human mind was capable of seeing fantastic things when it wanted to see them.

"Take thirteen." Tony muttered.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Vale**

**Beacon Academy, City of Vale**

**February 10th, 56 AGW**

"Excuse me?" Ozpin raised an eyebrow.

"You heard me." Tony looked serious, yet also somehow excited at the same time. "I'm here to offer a business proposal."

"No, I heard you the first time, but… why are you offering me a business proposal when we barely know each other?"

"Well, based on the fact that I'm in a different world, I don't know how to get back yet. Astronomy's never been a study of mine, so if I'm going to stay in this world, I need to justify my place here, hence the business proposal. Besides, you don't strike me as someone who does things out of the kindness of his heart. This way, I pay you back and I can do my part."

"You have some fair points."

"Of course I do. I'm a genius."

Ozpin had already pegged Tony Stark as a man of action, but even this had him wondering. Of course he could see that the man a good head on his shoulders. While having all of the man's equipment and tech moved, he glanced over some of the notes. He was no scientist by any means, but he read enough to get an idea of what he was looking. A power source that did not use dust, and to top it off, it was supposed to give off near-limitless power, or so the theory said. For that reason alone, listening seemed okay.

Ozpin sat back in his chair. "I gathered that you were a scientist, but I figured you would offer me technology, not a business idea."

"Back in my world, I was going to take over the reigns of my father's company." Tony shot back with much confidence. "And we're not just talking about some shop in a little town. We're talking one of the main suppliers of weapons technology to my country's government, but why stop there? We could have also made a killing selling to other governments."

"I see." Ozpin put his hands together.

A weapons manufacturing company. That was actually more than he dared to hope for, but it wasn't enough to take this man at his word. Sure, he sounded like he was telling the truth, but proof was going to be the only thing that would settle anything in his mind.

Tony seemed to catch on quickly. "Give me a month and a loan and I'll build you a weapon to help annihilate Grimm."

"And how do I know that you can deliver?"

"Oh please, I was made to do this. Plus, you can't say that you're not in the market for people to fight your wars."

"No, I can't disagree with that, but the fact that you're so casual about all of this is a bit concerning."

"Look, Oz, at the end of the day, do you want the living to win or not? It's an imperfect world, but it's the only one we've got. I can make weapons that have the living dying less than the Grimm. Weapons keep the peace, whether we know it or not, and the day that weapons aren't needed to keep the peace, I'll start making bricks and beams for baby hospitals."

Ozpin blinked. "You seem really sure about this."

Tony scoffed. "I've seen it play out many times. Peace means have a bigger stick than the other guy."

That was a fair point, but there was one other thing on Ozpin's mind. "Why are you offering me this?"

"Because I don't want to be in your debt forever. The way I see it, the faster I clear my debt, the more that I'm free to do what I want to do. I'm my own boss anyways, so if you're hoping for me to be your minion, well, you can forget it. I'm not a joiner, but I'll consider Secretary of Defense. We can amend the hours."

This man seemed to see through all of his tricks and traps. It looked like trying to convince him was out of the question because he had already volunteered himself and intended to play by his own rules. Controlling him was looking to be less and less of a possibility, not that Ozpin condoned restriction of freedom, but sometimes, it was necessary to keep a leash on certain individuals in the event that they became too much. A man's heart and mind could be easily swayed. Most men anyway.

Ultimately though, it was the casual and almost callous words that were thrown out the convinced the old wizard to take this risk on. He could call it a ruthless choice, even cruel to an extent, but in his quest to stop his enemy, there were just some things that couldn't be accomplished without sacrificing a little bit of heart here and there. He had seen men that were far more sadistic and evil in the past. In this case, the one standing before him couldn't be called evil per say. He was simply a man with a more pragmatic view on life, one that Ozpin could agree with in many respects.

"Give me a month to whip something up. Just bill me for whatever resources I need. I've got to do some more research before I can make do anything else. The only other thing I need is a lab, preferably where people won't get in the way."

"I can requisition whatever you need, but I expect there to be a massive payoff, and I don't usually go around giving chances to complete strangers."

"Of course you don't. Nobody does, but we're not complete strangers. We're complete acquaintances."

"Yes." Ozpin couldn't find a proper response.

"Oh, this'll be fun indeed." Tony patted him on the shoulder. "We'll be doing great things together, Oz. Oh, and you can thank me later when I'm the face of a new future for Remnant, just throwing that out there. No need to applaud me either. I'm a humble person like that."

_I beg to differ._ Clearly, an over inflated ego wasn't enough to describe this. _How long has it been since I've met a person who thought so highly of themselves?_

In any event, this little risky gamble required more than just the efforts of one person. He needed to chip in his part. For one thing, he now had to fabricate a new ID so that Tony Stark could be identified. There was also the matter of secrecy. The reality of discovering another person from another world wasn't just mind-boggling. It was game-changing on so many levels. Regardless of whether or not the circumstances could be replicated once more, it was now paramount to keep this little scenario under the wraps. Who knew what would happen if word of this got out. Not that anyone would believe it to be true, but just imagining the what-if scenarios was more than enough.

This little detour from the plan was going to cost him, though in the grand scene of things, losing a few lien and a bit of time was but a small price to pay in comparison to the war to come. There was going to be a war to be sure. Strangely enough, these times were fraught with more peace than he was comfortable with. No, he was not foolish enough to believe that his arch nemesis wasn't plotting something. There was no doubt in his mind that as time passed, peace would become a mere quiet.

The only thing he could do was amass pieces on the board and find as many as possible. Sure, most of them would amount to little more than specs of dust on this world, but in every generation, there were a handful of diamonds, beacons that shined brighter or burned hotter than anyone else. Not all of them were pure of heart, no person truly was fully good or fully evil, but nobody had to be pure in any respect in order to fight Salem. As long as they were capable of contributing to the fight, that was all that mattered. As detached and brutal that was, it was an equitable truth.

"Hey, old man, don't space out." Tony snapped his fingers in his face a couple of times. "Now's not the time to be casting spells here. I can't move all of this stuff myself. You've gotta show me to the place where I'm working."

"Right." Ozpin nodded his head. "There is a vault underneath Beacon Academy. Only I and a select few of the staff know of its existence. You will be able to work there and experience few distractions. I will have to give you credentials so that you can come and go at your own pace, but I would advise you not to leave school grounds until a later date."

"I probably won't be going many places once I get to work, but your advice is duly noted." Tony threw his hands up. "Still, on the off chance that I do go somewhere, I will entirely ignore your advice of staying in school. School sucks."

Ozpin blinked. "...what?"

"Aren't you supposed to be a smart guy?" Tony exasperated. "I mean, you're basically tricking kids into fighting a war that hasn't stopped for thousands of years. I applaud you, Geppetto, for the lovely puppets that you've made."

Ozpin would now add bizarre as another characteristic of Tony Star. It was like his mouth and mind both ran at a mile a minute and with much less restraint than the average person. Well, he could always appreciate someone who had much less of a filter on what they said. Honest people tended to live much more interesting and fulfilling lives than those who kept everything to themselves.

* * *

**This idea has been in the making for about a month now and I've decided to give it a go. Rewatching the MCU has made me realize just how much time has gone by since Iron Man first was released. The character of Tony Stark is awesome and I feel that he's been with me for a very long time. I would like to think I know how to write the character well, but the fact is that I'm not sure, but I might as well give it a shot.**

**And for future reference, the term AGW means After the Great War. Right now as things stand, the story's taking place long before the events of RWBY Volume 1 have even started. That gives me a lot of leeway in making this story how I see fit because yes, I will be doing a lot of crazy stuff because I want to. However, I hope to keep that craziness within the realm of what makes sense for RWBY and Iron Man.**

**But don't just take my word for it. If anyone's got feedback, compliments, criticisms, or ideas, don't hesitate to review and let me know exactly what you think. I want to make this story as interesting as possible and that starts with getting as many ideas as possible.**

**I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter.**

_**"We live in a diverse society - in fact, a diverse world - and we must learn to live in peace and with respect for each**_** other."**

**Stan "The Man" Lee**


	2. THE YAEGER I

**CHAPTER 2: THE YAEGER I**

**Remnant, System Unknown**

** Kingdom of Vale**

** Beacon Academy**

**April 10th, 56 AGW**

Tony had gotten to work immediately from the get go. He had one month to deliver what he had said, and given his lack of knowledge in some of the basic laws of science in this world, he was really putting his balls in a vice grip. That being said, it was that same pressure the compelled him to complete this project and make it really good. Regardless, it was still a lot to accomplish. A month's time was barely enough to draw up a detailed schematic, get the materials needed for modifications, repurpose already-existing technology to reduce building time, testing for flaws and bugs, and then actually putting the weapon to use. Normally, this was worth at least six months of work.

Week one had been spent on mapping out a blueprint. He took the extensive knowledge he did have about missiles and weapon systems from Earth and began to draw up a simple but effective design. He made the design with the expectation that weapon systems in this world were at least peripherally similar, therefore cutting his project time by a month.

On the first day of the second week he received every single piece of hardware he needed. Equipment, tools, completed missiles, missile parts, and various other raw materials. One look at the internal systems showed that there were enough similarities in design and operation that these systems could be retooled. It was a stroke of good luck.

Weeks two and three were solely dedicated to assembling all the physical components of the missile. It was best to make a big bang to kick things off, so power was the key here. With that decision made, refinement would become a secondary concern.

The last week was spent making minute adjustments, adding some new features whenever possible, and then running tests and simulations. A combination of Earth and Remnant components made for some very interesting and promising results. Best of all, it wasn't a complicated concoction, just a simple little trial gone right.

While working on his weapon project, Tony took the time to consume the ins and outs of dust and its application to technology. The reality was that it wasn't that complicated to use and its applications were hilariously underwhelming at times. What made it worse was that there was literally nothing else out there that served as a viable alternative. That was more than a little alarming. This world had developed along such a linear path that exploitation was less a matter of if and more a matter of when.

In any event, opportunity was knocking and he would be a fool to not use this knowledge to his advantage. The Arc Reactor could become the new face of energy in this world. Not only that, but any form of renewable energy could become revolutionary to this world. One day, he would be able to achieve this vision and change Remnant forever. In the meantime, he would stick to dust, learn how to utilize it best before going any further.

A beep alerted Tony that his little side gig was done. His eyes began to scan the nearby screen, his grin growing wider by the minute. Hacking into the Atlas Military wasn't just ridiculously easy; it was a really bad joke. The Pentagon had better security than this, but then again, the Cold War was still on, hence the tightened security. Remnant's last war was over fifty years ago, so he could chalk up this lackluster security to complacency, not that he was complaining. It made his job easier. He now had access to top-secret military technologies, plans, and secrets, and there was a LOT to go through. It was actually pretty fun to rummage through classified data like he owned it.

The young man had also hacked into Beacon's database to discover a plethora of battles and fights for huntsmen and huntresses in training. What he saw could only be described as absurdity and comic book imagination. No person on Earth was capable of such inhuman displays of speed, strength, and dexterity. It just wasn't possible, not by the laws that he was familiar with, but aura changed everything quite literally. One huntsman or huntress was worth ten special forces soldiers, maybe even twenty.

And now apparently he had this power too. The young genius had already felt the differences during his month at work. Physical work took far less effort than he remembered, but he promised himself to never allow himself to grow reliant upon the power. If he did, he worried that he would lose any sort of appeal with women and that was one that he definitely did not want to live without. He needed to maintain a good body image and keep the women coming. That applied to Faunus women too.

Sure, old Hugh Hefner could pretty up his girls and dress them in bunny ears and bunny costumes, but now that women had actual bunny ears and tails, things were going to get really interesting, and not just the bunny girls. With such a variety in the Faunus community, hooking up with some of them sounded pretty fun. Tony was sure that he could look up some rather raunchy videos of Faunus girls getting their sexy on, but since he anticipated getting some of that action himself, the young Stark decided that it would better to surprise himself. Some of the prospects were just so damn interesting.

But getting back to the main point, huntsmen and huntresses, for all of their power, still weren't enough to kill all the Grimm. If they were, then Grimm wouldn't be a problem anymore. That meant either huntsmen were not as strong as they should be or the Grimm were more powerful than common knowledge said. Those were more conventional conclusions to come to; the Stark heir came to his own conclusion. Mindless creatures couldn't possibly win long-term against mindful sentient beings. That meant that the Grimm had to be commanded by something… or someone, but who'd be crazy enough to take these things out for a joy ride? They would have to be totally out of their mind or just really love killing people.

To Tony's logical mind, it didn't make any logical sense, which could only mean one thing: someone knew the truth. Someone knew what was really going on. Assuming that was the case, then there was far more going on than what he had been told, which sounded about right now that he thought about it. Ozpin was hiding a lot of things, that much was clear. The man had a look in his eyes that clearly expressed wisdom and knowledge that few people were aware of. It was too bad that the old man didn't have a better poker face because now that Tony knew that Ozpin was keeping secrets, he was going to find out what they were. To do that, he needed to clear his debts and become his own man as soon as possible.

The brown-haired young man took another look at his scroll. The device more than fascinated him. It was such a small thing yet it had the power and capabilities of computers in his world and then some. They were small devices that folded in the pocket yet durable. The screen and interface were so alien yet easily accessible. This was the king of tech that could only be imagined in sci-fi movies. This was pretty much Star Wars levels of nerdom and that was pretty cool. He could imagine George Lucas looking at this stuff and literally having a heart attack. Maybe it would inspire him to create some more awesome and cheesy films.

Getting back on topic, Tony ran another simulation on his computer to see what he was dealing with. The raw destructive output of his weapons was more than what he needed for his demonstration, but what mattered more was the accuracy of said weapons. Raw destructive power by itself was all well and good, but without some form of control, they would be nothing more than bombs. It might as well be more effective to fashion some really high-end grenades and lob them at the Grimm.

Yes, these weapons were aimed to kill Grimm, but these weapons, with the proper tweaking, could be just as effective in conventional warfare, man to man style. World peace wouldn't come merely with the destruction of the monsters of this world. If anything, the Grimm being wiped out would only invite an arms race between the four kingdoms to see which could acquire more land, more resources, and more leverage over each other. There would be a need for weapons long after the Grimm were gone.

It wasn't evil to be the supplier of these weapons. If anything, it would help keep the peace. Like he said to Ozpin, an imperfect world demanded morally grey actions. Nobody had to like the outcome, but it was still necessary.

For now, focus on the Grimm.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Vale**

**Near the Emerald Forest**

**April 12th, 56 AGW**

Tony looked around at some of the assembled faces and took stock of what he was dealing with. These were all military leaders from Vale that had come in response to the summons of Ozpin. Apparently, being the headmaster of Beacon Academy granted him a seat on Vale's council. That meant the man had insane pull not just in politics, but also in military matters. Paying this favor back would be no small feat, but if his predictions were right, then there would be no need to worry. After all, he wasn't a genius for nothing. He knew what to look for when it came to business. The key was knowing what this world needed and wanted. Even better was giving people what they wanted before people even realized that they wanted it, a skill that the best businessmen had in their arsenal.

Tony checked himself over to make sure that he was looking his best. It was custom-made and tailored to him specifically, which had made it a more expensive suit, but the cost was simply tacked onto the cost of the development of the weapons that would be tested today, so in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't all that expensive. Nevertheless, having a spick and span appearance was always critical to making a good first impression. People loved professional looks and a suits screamed high-class, even in this world.

His primary problem with this presentation was him being an unknown with no credibility. As far as everyone here was concerned, they were here wasting their time and only by Ozpin's words did they even bother to come here for the slim chance that things would get interesting. In the business world, nobody ever took anyone seriously until they proved they could sell their goods or services. With this fact in mind, it was impertinent to conduct himself in a way that was both confident and certain yet not arrogant or pompous in any way that could dissuade interest in what he was doing. He could become what he wanted once he had proven that his words weren't just smoke.

"My name is Tony Stark." The young prodigy began. "My trade is dealing in weapons. Whether it's for soldiers in the field or for large-scale destruction, I can build it. Yes, you heard right. I personally build my own weapons as well as sell them. Before I'm a businessman, I'm an inventor."

Behind his shades, Tony watched the reactions. So far, everyone held poker faces, but he could imagine that none of them were truly taking him seriously, which didn't surprise or bother him. He still had a ways to go.

"With that out of the way, I'll get straight to the point. The current ways of fighting Grimm aren't enough. There aren't enough huntsmen in the world to push back the Grimm; the armed forces all around the world aren't properly equipped to deal with Grimm on a large scale. You have to wonder to yourselves: how long are we going to fight the Grimm? A few more years? A decade? A few decades? A hundred years? A thousand? Haven't we been doing this for long enough? Isn't it time that we took care of the pests and actually made use of this world the way we ought to use it?"

Tony was aiming for less eloquence and more simple and straightforward words. The effect that he desired was very clear. He could see some nods, some subtle, others obvious, but all pointed to a single common desire: seeing the Grimm gone for good. That was going to be his main selling point for now. Everyone had a common enemy in the Grimm, nobody could deny this fact.

"I'm here to offer the first of many solutions." The young man surveyed everyone present before taking a glance at his work to his left. "I present to all of you the first of many crowning jewels to come. This missile is the first of its kind in Remnant. It makes use of a system I like to the call the Automated Grimm Exterminator, or A.G.E. if you're feeling lazy. As you've already guessed it, this missile is intended to target Grimm, but unlike simple missiles that explode and cause a big mess, this missile is designed to damage only one thing: Grimm."

Tony, with his scroll in his hand, began to work something out without even looking at the screen. He had memorized the controls on the device, making his presentation less about him messing with things and more about showing off. People's time was precious and the last thing any presentation needed was to drag on needlessly.

"If you'll direct your attention to the screen, this is live data of Grimm activity within the Emerald Forest. All those red dots are Grimm, and there are a LOT of them, but that's about to change. All you need is one good reason to fire this thing off and I personally guarantee you the Grimm will be given a reason to fear us."

With less than a second of fiddling on his scroll again, the missles began to arrange themselves into position to begin firing. At first glance, they didn't appear to be anything more than what they appeared. This was where the fun wound begin.

The A.G.E. system began to receive data regarding the positions of the Grimm within the forest, then began calculating its greatest area of effect. All of this programming should have taken a competent team of ten about a month to create and the genius had done it in a week's time with more than a few all-nighters and coffee. There had been many simulations to test the viability of the system, but this was the first live demonstration. If it didn't work, he might as well just fade into obscurity and give up entirely.

With the proper information needed, the left-most missile in the pod ignited its rockets before blasting off into the sky, a clear trail of smoke left in its wake. The now airborne missile began a slow but steady ascendance into the sky. Some seconds crawled by before the projectile had increased speed and reached a sizeable distance from the launching area. Once it had reached the optimal point in the sky, the missile seemingly began to break apart into smaller pieces, each carrying a part of the true weapon.

Whenever Grimm were killed, they would often leave dust in their wake. Usually, it was hard to recover the black monsters in a state that would allow for any sort of study. However, because Tony was connected to Ozpin, he had the advantage of being able to get his hands on some rather rare things. The inventor had no idea how the headmaster had acquired that Grimm samples that he did, but he certainly was going to make good use of it.

With what little spare time he did have, Tony had studied the substance that made the Grimm. It was unusual to say the least and as of right now, he didn't fully understand it. What he did understand, though, was that the substance was highly unstable to say the least. How this thing managed to make anything resembling an intelligent creature was tantamount to an act of God and Tony had never believed in a God or any supernatural miracle. Regardless, he had tested various dust particles with it and quickly determined that dust could be used to break apart the bonds that held it together. With this in mind, the creation of his weapon become much more easier.

Keeping all of this in mind, Tony could imagine the missile in the sky now scattering the specifically-configured dust particles in the air. Normally speaking, dust could react to a number of factors in the environment if left to its own devices or if mishandled, but the prodigal scientist had managed to restrict the way that the dust responded to what it was exposed. Put simply, the dust loaded in the missle wouldn't react to anything at all.

Except the Grimm.

For a minute, everyone seemed confused by what had happened. Tony simply kept himself still. Everything was going as he wanted it to. Even with all the various risks involved, it was all falling into place. The screen showing the position of the Grimm in the forest began to shift. Where there were many red dots on the map now there existed less. A few disappeared, then a few more, than many more. Less than half the original numbers existed. Soon, they dwindled into a dozen or so. Finally, they all were gone, as if they had never existed. The absolute proof of the confirmed kills were the many trails of black mist that came from the treelines. There were no more Grimm.

"For your consideration," Tony gestured to his handiwork and declared proudly, "The Jaeger."

Judging by the stares he was getting, he would say that this was a resounding success.

* * *

**RWBY - - - Iron Man**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Vale**

**Beacon Academy**

**April 20th, 56 AGW**

The success of the weapon test was more than a moderate successful. All expectations had been blow out of the water. The requests for the new Jaeger Missile were in effect. The Council of Vale were more than eager to purchase the device for the price that was being asked. At this rate, making money wouldn't be an issue. Now, the question was a matter of how much money there was going to be.

It hadn't even been that long and already Ozpin had found himself being paid back what he was owed. Tony had immediately send lien to cover the costs of the total loan over the past month. After that, Mister Stark moved out of Beacon as if his life depended on it. He was serious about repaying his debts in full and as far as the headmaster of Beacon was concerned, the man had done just that. It wouldn't be a stretch to think that this man had the potential to rival even the Schnee Dust Company given enough time and that was saying something considering that the SDC was arguably the most well-known businesses in all of Remnant.

The newly-minted Stark Industries was now a subject of much talk within the political and business realm. Everyone present at the demonstration was thoroughly impressed with what they witnessed. Only a few concerns were raised as to whether or not one man was capable of building this entire system himself. Ozpin himself had given his account of how everything done here was due to Tony Stark. With the support of the headmaster of Beacon Academy, nobody really had any reason to ask further questions. With the results being what they were, everyone was already scrambling for a piece of the action.

The most interested and enthusiastic buyers were those that came from the scientific community. Predictably, they were interested in more than just the actual weapon itself. The A.G.E. system was of great interest to them. Due to its specialized nature in dealing with Grimm, it was rapidly becoming something of a much sought-after software. It wouldn't be surprising if Mister Stark decided to classify his invention as proprietary technology of his company to keep anyone else from potentially profiting off of his work.

And it was probably just as well. Tony was a businessman as well as an inventor among other things.

Over the past month plus some days, Ozpin had become familiar with the man that was Anthony Edward Stark. The man was brilliant, perhaps one of the most brilliant men that he had ever seen in his entire lifetime, which was considerable, so that was saying something. That brilliance didn't just extend to one field. The young Stark was an expert of many scientific fields not to mention a very savvy businessman. The level of growth and potential that Stark Industries was showing was nothing short of staggering. All of this was realized at the young age of twenty-one.

Tony was also nothing if not confident, arrogant, and just a little bit condescending, yet somehow he managed to make himself quite the charismatic figure, enough so that whatever behaviors that he displayed that could be classified as rude behavior was overlooked in favor of his greater traits. It was a balancing act of being respectable yet also annoying; few could pull it off. Ozpin personally had no problems with his behavior. There were worse men in the world and being arrogant was hardly a new trait. If anything, this brand of arrogance was slightly more justified, slightly being the key word.

The young weapons developer aside, there were still things he had to do in the meanwhile. The work of a huntsman never stopped, not while the Grimm roamed free and not while his ultimate enemy still was out there in the world. This shadow was had been going on for thousands of years, but now, there just might be a chance to break the stalemate and bring a decisive end once and for all. The old man never thought he would be saying this, but now he was ever-so thankful to have in his company the genius and intellect of a man who was in the business of war.

Ozpin was also grateful that the weapons that Tony had built worked exclusively on Grimm. The last thing any of them needed were the four kingdoms gaining news weapons and giving each other new reasons to be wary of each other. They just needed to survive long enough for the Creatures of Grimm to be eradicated once and for all. After that, there would be time to discern the finer details of a world with only Mankind in it. For now, he would take any advantage he could get, even if morally questionable.

Despite the test having been relatively close to Beacon Academy, the effects on the school were minimal, hardly felt by the students. That was due in no small part to the students being on spring break. Those that did stay at the school hadn't even heard a word of anything unusual going on. The ignorance of the students neither positive nor negative. Even if the children did know what was going on, it wouldn't have made a difference. Huntsmen and the military forces of the world operated separately. Aside from the occasional joint exercises, both stuck to their intended roles.

The inclusion of Grimm-specific weaponry in the world would ultimately not change all that much despite what the implications suggested. Huntsmen performed similarly to a military special forces unit; both made use of unconventional strategies and tactics, both had access to special weapons and equipment, and both took on mission that weren't always disclosed to the public. In fact, more than a few huntsmen and huntresses were working as special force operatives, especially so in Atlas. Getting back on topic, things were not going to be all that different. For thousands of years the Grimm persisted while Mankind evolved. Not to downplay Tony's work now, but his weapons only provided an advantage in the shadow war, not a deus ex machina.

In other news, Team STRQ was had gotten into some trouble, the kind that couldn't be swept under the rung. Apparently, Summer Rose had taken it upon herself to take out some criminals in the dark corners of Vale. According to police reports, the encounter was chance and like the leader Miss Rose was, she roped her entire team into it and there was not a thing any of them could do about it. That was just about what he expected from the silver-eyed girl. She was such a spitfire with a thirst for justice and righteousness and good of which he had not seen in many years. There were a lot of years.

Already Ozpin had been recommended that he do something to discipline the team, but he wouldn't be doing that anytime soon. His logic was simple and wasn't all that different from the reason he had let Tony prove himself: nobody could change the world by doing what the world tells them to do. Team STRQ was an unorthodox team that did unorthodox things not unlike the young weapons developer. In that sense, the team and the man shared many traits despite having never met.

The facetious nature of the inventor lended itself to making it harder to get a bead on who he was deep down. The man could simply just be like he was inside as he was outside. He could be hiding a softer side that he didn't show often. It could be both of them and it could be neither of them at all. It was far too early to tell what his outward behavior was really indicating aside from his own self-assurance in his genius and his logic. Chutzpah by itself was never a determining factor in how a person's life played out.

Ozpin noticed a message on his scroll. Disconnecting from his train of thought, he grabbed the device in his hand and saw the sender ID labelled Mister Stark. How strange that this was happening. If he recalled correctly, wasn't this further contact that was not necessary? Tony, though never explicit, had always implied that contact between himself and Ozpin was going to remain low after the moving phase. Whatever this was about had to be something more business-related than anything else.

Curious now, the headmaster steeled himself and opened the contents of the message to see what was going on. What resulted was nothing short of unexpected and slightly surprising as well.

_Oz, I've got an proposal for you. While we're talking expansion, let's talk about opportunities for students. I'm willing to have some of your kids intern for me. Consider it a co-op between two parties looking out for each other._

"I see." Ozpin nodded to himself. "Go on."

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Vale**

**The City of Vale**

**April 20th, 56 AGW**

Tony's initial sales had been nothing short of incredible, yet expected. Almost overnight, he had gone from owing money to being a millionaire. Lien was practically flowing into his pockets by the truck loads and he was happy as could be. Stark Industries was looking to make a major killing on Remnant. Maybe in the future if he could find a way back to Earth, he could pool his resources here with the resources there. It was a far-off dream and unrealistic right now, but hey, dreamers needed something to work towards.

Besides his new funds, he had plans to set up a headquarters in the financial district of the City of Vale. It was really unoriginal name, but whatever. It was a small thing to worry about. Speaking of finance, with his newly-acquired cash assets, he could now afford to take out some loans that he would put to use in growing his company as well as his name. He could now finally use the insider knowledge of Stark Industries as well as his father's tips and tricks to make himself a fortune to rival anyone on Remnant. The thought made him smile more. A legacy on another world.

Stark Industries would need more than just himself a brand-new building. He needed the right people to help him accomplish his goal. He needed a team that not only was competent but also motivated and capable of the ideal synergy. No business ever succeeded without the right kind of help. Finding the people would be easier said than done though. Although he had done his basic homework in regards to geography and the kingdoms and all the places that looked really important, he needed to get a better look for himself. Meeting faces and getting names would be important.

Tony's first destination, regrettably, was the Kingdom of Atlas. That place was basically a really uptight places, a floating iceberg surrounded by a lot more ice. In essence, an antarctic hellscape. Why anyone deigned to live there was beyond the Stark's comprehension. It was like people in Atlas lived like ice kings and ice queens. Maybe that was how they got their kicks. He heard rumors and Ozpin spoke of a militaristic and formal culture. That had to be more of a thing within the upper class. Some pretty rich people lived in the most advanced kingdom in the world. Until he became rich too, then he would have wait and see.

While the inventor had a disliking for Atlas in terms of the fun factor, he couldn't deny that from a business perspective, they were a gold mine. Yes, those dust mongers might have the best technology in the world, but he could do much better than they ever could. By the simple fact that their technology relied upon dust, they were already behind the Arc reactor. Until a time came when he could directly challenge Atlas directly in technology, he would need contacts and connections within its upper echelons of society.

_Well, no time like the present._ Tony thought to himself as he boarded the plane. _Let's go see if Jack Frost is willing to play snowball._

* * *

**This chapter is slightly shorter than the first chapter, but this seemed to me like a good stopping point. Next chapter, we'll get into Tony establishing relationships with some of the big wigs of Atlas. You've probably already guessed the first one with the last line of this chapter, but there are others to watch out for too.**

**I'm pleased that so many people think that I nailed Tony Stark as a character. In my opinion, it's really hard to nail down the what exactly this character might do at any given time. I had to rewatch some Iron Man moments from the MCU to figure out what makes sense and what doesn't. Robert Downey Jr is Iron Man and I want to be respectful of his performances.**

**And on a final note, one of my readers noted that Tony Stark could accidently become a father to Ruby. I thought about that for a minute and then I had an even crazier idea: why not have Tony Stark by the biological father of four of the RWBY characters? Let's not forget that Tony is a womanizer and has no dated and slept with many women. Plus, I chose magical four because hey, it's RWBY. Four just seemed right.**

**So how is this going to work? Well, since it was a reader who gave me the idea, I'm going to give my audience the ability to decide who Tony's going to be the father of. A poll on my profile page will be launched following the release of this chapter. Vote for your four favorite characters. The poll will provide further details.**

**Now how did you guys like this chapter? Leave a review with feedback. Anything that'll help me will be greatly appreciated.**

**Thanks for reading this chapter.**

_**"You prove your worth with your actions, not with your**_** mouth."**

**Jean Paul**


	3. WINTER IS COMING

**CHAPTER 3: WINTER IS COMING**

**Remnant, System Unknown**

** Kingdom of Atlas**

** Schnee Family Manor**

**April 22nd, 56 AGW**

Jacque Schnee, ever since taking over as CEO of the Schnee Dust Company, had become more busy than he had ever been. Naturally, with all of the duties he had taken into his hands, he had far less time to be social than in previous years. Right now, he could only afford time to see among the most important people relating to the SDC. That being said, he could always appreciate and respect those who came from humble beginnings to become the next big thing. That was why he had arranged for this meeting. It was an extremely promising prospect for Schnee family name, short-term and long-term.

Anthony Edward Stark, the head of the newly-created Stark Industries, was paying a visit today. The man had already made a name for himself as a weapons developer and quite a crafty one at that. He had gone from a nobody to an almost overnight celebrity. Jacque's insiders in Vale informed him that the Council of Vale had been acquiring newly-created weapons recently and all traces came back to the name Stark. There was a lot going on here and the Schnee head's business instinct told him that he was sitting on a potential goldmine of opportunity.

"Sir, Mister Stark has arrived." The butler Klein spoke. "Shall I see him in?"

"Please do." Jacque nodded. "I need to be sure that this meeting goes well. Make whatever arrangements that are necessary."

Jacque had eyes and ears everywhere that mattered. As the head of the SDC, he needed to always be on the lookout for new partners and this one was potentially his greatest prospect yet. Remnant was always in need of any kind of weapon to fight off the Grimm. Huntsmen weren't nearly enough in numbers to fight the abominations. Consequently, it fell to the armies of the world to pick up the slack. Jacque had already made deals with the Atlas Military to supply them with dust in all forms that they requested.

What made this different was that unlike weapons that were currently on the market, these were revolutionary in design. It was cutting-edge technology that could destroy the Grimm in such large numbers that more land untouched by human hands could be claimed and used. That along was enough reason to chance the risk involved.

Cinching the deal would be another matter though. Those same eyes and ears that informed him about Stark Industries also informed him about how Tony Stark was anything but a typical businessman. Playing by the rules wasn't going to work. The man was said to be unusual, unorthodox, and did not take well to authority. If all of this was true, then this was going to be quite an interesting talk. Jacque had run some rehearsed lines as well as practiced his mannerisms, whatever he felt was necessary to make a good first impression. It was strange that he was now fussing over how he presented himself when normally it was people meeting him who concerned themselves with how they looked around him. It was a change of pace and a bit of an annoyance.

The doors opened and in came the man in question. The first thing that Jacque took note of was his age. The man couldn't be much older than twenty or so. That instantly intrigued the SDC head. Usually, men in their early twenties were considered to be all energy and passion and no discipline and control. The second thing to note was his dress code. He wore more conservative colors for his suit and his tie was also colored conservatively, but his dress shirt was red. He wore a pair of sunglasses and a glance at his wrist saw him wearing a Dustin Watch, a namebrand watch. This contrast of traditional and flamboyant spoke to a high level of confidence and self-assurance; he understood the rules of dressing, but chose to blend between tradition and personal style.

"Jacque Schnee, Chairman and CEO of the Schnee Dust Company." The Stark head was the first to approach and offer a hand. "It's not everyday that you get to meet one of the most powerful men in Atlas."

"And it's not everyday that I get to meet the new face of weapons development on Remnant." The Schnee head said in reply and shook the hand. "I expect great things."

"Great things? I don't do great things. I do explosive things." The black-haired man shook his head. "I'll make the Grimm explode into dust, I'll make the crowd explode into applause, I'll even explode the SDC's profit roof."

"Then we're speaking the same language." Jacque professed, his respect growing. "This way, we can speak more in the conference room."

It took them a few minutes to get the private conference room located near Jacque's office. It had enough room to sit down all executive members of the SDC and there was more than enough space to accommodate standing bodies as well. Refreshments and some snacks were already set out. As both took a seat, the younger man took the time to sample the snacks. He seemed pleased.

"I've never had Atlesian snacks before." Tony explained. "Interesting flavor."

"They're the finest that money can buy." Jacque replied.

"Well, I've had better, but that's a story for another time. Anway, to business. I'm pretty sure I've got an idea for what you want out of this, so don't bother explaining it to me. You'd probably bore me with the details. I'll say my piece."

"...very well. Go on."

Already this was shaping up to be perhaps the most abnormal and somewhat insulting meeting ever. Few men in the world had the capacity to talk to Jacque Schnee and come out on top, but already Tony Stark was taking control of the conversation. It wasn't exactly a great place to be, but the Schnee CEO kept his cool and brushed aside his temporary ire in favor of lending an ear.

Tony eyed him critically before speaking. "As you might be already aware, Stark Industries is currently looking to use the A.G.E. to bring about a new era of weapons technology unlike any the world has ever seen. We're talking about the ability to wipe out Grimm in the thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands."

"So I surmised from your demonstration." Jacque nodded his head. "I also noted that you require a very specific type of dust to power your weapons. That sort of precision is not easy to come by unless the dust utilized is refined perfectly, hence part of the reason why you came to me."

"Give the man a prize, you got it in one shot." Tony replied with clapping. "And it's connected to the most important reason that I'm here."

"And that is?" Jacque asked.

"Now this is something you'll love." Tony smirked. "What if I told you that I could provide you with a power source that will effectively cut your energy costs by the millions and even the billions?"

Jacque raised an eyebrow. "I am willing to listen to you given what you have done already, but I am not one to deal in things that are not tangible."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm not making this up. I have actual blueprints." Tony pulled out his scroll and lit up the 3D display. "Check it out."

Jacque gazed at the holographic screen and began to read its contents. By no means was he a master scientist, but being a part of the SDC had given him a competent understanding of the more technical side of his company. His eyes darted left and right, his curiosity increasing by the second. Not only were these ideas and concepts possible, but they could essentially cut down on dust consumption in their own processes to near-zero point. That was more than just being more efficient. That would change the game entirely.

"I will say that this is a most intriguing prospect." Jacque kept his voice level. "But I find it hard to believe that in exchange for such revolutionary technology, you simply want dust sent to you."

"I've been called many things in my life. Stupid is not one of them." Tony placed his hands on the table and adopted a mildly serious look. "So here's what I'm after. If I give you these blueprints, Stark Industries will get first priority to any dust type for the purpose of weaponized implementation. The other thing I want is a direct line to all the top people that you know in Atlas and everywhere else in the world."

Again, Jacque found himself trying to piece together what exactly was the end game for Tony Stark. Normally, when it came to business deals, there were only a few things that people wanted: raw materials, capital, land, human resources, intellectual property rights, the list could go on. The first part of the deal made sense. Dust was typical and necessary. The second part involving a direct line to top-tier clients and business partners and such was not the norm.

"Your offer is... strange." The SDC head sat back in his chair.

The Stark head shrugged his shoulders. "It's what I do. It's not my style to always play by the books."

Strange indeed.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

** Remnant, System Unknown**

** Kingdom of Atlas**

** Polendina Laboratory**

**April 23rd, 56 AGW**

"Mister Stark, it's a pleasure to meet a fellow scientist. The A.G.E. system is a source of must interest in our corner of Remnant."

"Same to you, Doctor Polendina. Your research in robotics is unparalleled. I'm a big fan of yours. I was hoping we'd be able to compare notes."

Pietro Polendina was rather surprised that Tony Stark wanted to meet him, but all the same, it was a welcome change of pace. His research for the Atlesian Military was rewarding, there was no denying that, but the chance to meet other scientists, regardless of their field of study, always was fun. The exchange of knowledge was just so fascinating that he become like a child in a candy story.

"So I take it you looked into the file I sent you?" Tony asked a question. "See anything that might help you?"

"Actually, this is more than I expected." Pietro pulled up his scroll. "This sort of AI research is... almost incomprehensible. I almost didn't believe it myself until I followed your instructions and created a simple AI to start."

"And you did all of this programming in the span of less than two days?" Tony let his enthusiasm show. "That's actually remarkable. You mind showing me?"

"Yes, of course. Right this way." Pietro gestured. "Please watch your step. I haven't had the time to properly organize my tools and equipment."

"I get it. My lab doesn't look any better." Tony chuckled with his words. "It's actually the best kind of place for me."

Indeed the lab was anything but organized. To any normal man, this mess would be nearly incomprehensible, but when one made their own messes, one often knew where to find things in the mess. Parts from disassembled weapons, parts from disassembled machinery, tools and their accessories scattered in random place, parts that had no business being where they were, the entire place was in need of some organization.

"So as I said, I immediately got to work when you provided me with the groundwork. The theoretical literature was enough to convince me." Pietro stepped in front of a table and cleared the mess before opening up a hologram. "As of right now, it responds to all of my commands at will and has been helping me with accelerating calculations and programming."

"There's a lot more that it can do." Mister Stark began by pulling up his scroll and displaying some additional coding. "Here, if you use this coding, you'll be able to turn this thing from a virtual intelligence into something more akin to a true and complete artificial intelligence."

Both men watched as their codings came together and began to synthesize into something far more complex. The process was mesmerizing to their eyes. It took all but a mere few seconds for their works to overlap and fuse together into something much more complex. Once it was done, the main hologram had visually formed into a green ball of flowing information and the creation of a new program was complete.

"Scan for human life." The black-haired man commanded.

"Scanning now." It was only a moment later when the scan was complete. "Two humans in the room. Subject in closest proximity identified as Anthony Edward Stark, born May 29th, 35 AGW."

"Goddammit, Oz." Tony huffed a bit at the spoken information. "One of these days, I swear I'll shock your hands frozen."

Pietro heard his fellow engineer but instead chose to ignore it in favor of continuing to observe the newly-created artificial intelligence as it continued its report.

"Subject second-closest in proximity is Pietro Penny Polendina, born March 17th, 20 AGW."

"Impressive." Pietro stroked his beard. "How did you figure this out?"

"A little something called biomechanical engineering. My main fields are robotics and physics, but I've always found interesting ways for tech and man to mix and mash. I like to call it the melting pot of science. A little of this and a little of that."

"Amazing. I've been to all corners of Remnant search for scientific breakthroughs and never have I come up anything so revolutionary. I can only imagine what could result if this was in civilian life.

The applications for artificial intelligence were vast. Hacking, coding, calculations, and these were just a few of the possibilities. With technology growing with the years, there was an increasing demand for processing power and efficiency. Certainly, operating systems and programs were functioning just fine, but with AI's, the technological game itself might just change on levels so drastic that maybe even the world itself would feel the impact. All of these thoughts were mere speculation and with no precedence for comparison, these conjectures were worthless. Still, it was food for thought.

"As much as I'd like to go all Star Wars on this world, I'd like to perfect what we've got right now." Tony gave a pat to the shoulder. "No hard feelings, just looking to play my cards right."

"I… understand, and you're right." Pietro nodded his head in agreement, although he had slight disappointment in his tone. "I just haven't been this excited since my doctorate years."

"We'll get there eventually, doc." Tony assured him. "For now, I've got a proposal for you, not business-related mind you."

"I have no reason to say no." Pietro made eye contact. "Go on."

"Normally, I'd have done this sort of thing myself, but I need an extra pair of eyes helping me along." Tony looked more than slightly peeved. "I'm used to developing tech along my own guidelines. My weapons tech was done as a rush job, not really my best work."

"You need someone with more intimate information and details about dust-oriented weapons." Pietr summed it up. "I'm more than willing to provide for it, but I'm surprised that you don't have a mind for dust.

"I've never really been sold on relying on dust. Sure, it's got its uses, but I don't always want to line good old Jacque Schnee's pockets anymore that I have."

Pietro nodded. "I see."

"Yeah." Tony affirmed. "But enough about the SDC. Can you help me? I'll pay you for your trouble."

"Your offer is tempting, but with all the projects that I'm working on for the Atlas military, I'm not sure how soon I can get to this." Pietro sighed quite loudly as he leaned against the work table. "Believe me, a chance to work on developing an artificial intelligence isn't lost on me, but I did sign a contract and I always honor my contracts."

"Totally understand." Tony placed his hands in his pocket and contemplated the man opposite of him. "I'm not asking you to put down your commitments. Here's the deal, I'm going to be in town for a bit. We can work on it as we go. Hell, even when I leave Atlas, we can still coordinate our efforts whenever possible."

"Didn't you just say that you didn't want this getting out in public?" Pietro raised his head in perplexion. "Anything on the CCTS can be intercepted by anyone."

"Oh, no, no, no." Tony laughed and shook his head as if that suggestion was utterly stupid. "No way would I ever send sensitive stuff through those glorified rockets stuck to the ground. No, what I'm imagining is a private communications link where we can send data secretly and nobody besides us can access it."

"I'm assuming that this line will be based upon different hardware and software than what exists?" Pietro raised an eyebrow.

"Naturally. We'll call it our little secret. Actually, before we iron out any details, have you," Tony gestured around the room, "got anything here that might be recording or witnessing or hearing whatever we're doing?"

"Absolutely not." Pietro shook his head confidently. "One of the conditions for me working for the Atlesian Military is that I retain my autonomy. I might be contracted with them, but what goes on in here stays in here."

"Then we're speaking the same language." A smile graced the younger man's features. "Let's see what wonderful madness we can make together."

In the line of scientific work, keeping secrets was a very complex matter. In some instances, transparency was critical to the integrity and success of a project while in other cases, secrecy would save the lives of tens of thousands. Doctor Polendina couldn't say what exactly he had gotten himself into. His instincts told him that it wasn't anything evil or immoral, but because Mister Stark seemed focused on secrecy above all else, there had to be a pretty dire consequence that might result if this got into the wrong hands. Naturally, this stoke the fire of curiosity even further.

_Genius and madness can often be two sides of the same coin._ Pietro Polendina nodded at Tony Stark, but also considered his thoughts. _Let us hope you fall into the former category._

* * *

**RWBY - - - Iron Man**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

** Kingdom of Atlas**

** Atlas Academy**

**April 25th, 56 AGW**

Captain James Ironwood had a most interesting objective today. Many in the Atlesian armed forces might not consider this to be interesting, but James considered this to be a very critical step for the Atlesian Armed Forces. If things went well, then the future of Atlas could very well be assured. All of this was riding upon this meeting with one very important person.

Anthony Edward Stark, born May 29th, 35 years after the Great War. Strangely enough, that was all that his profile had to offer. The only other worthy thing to note was that he had recently presented the Council of Vale with an irresistible weapon to fight back against the Grimm. It was a scant profile to say the least. Ironwood wondered...

Atlas prided itself on its technological advantages and anything that shifted the balance of power in the world was worthy of note. Yes, the kingdoms of the world had vowed to never again fight a war that would divided them and leave them vulnerable to Grimm, but nothing was absolute. Preventative measures needed to be taken for self-preservation. That was why finding out about this man that had suddenly come out of nowhere was on a priority list.

Atlesian intelligence made it very clear that Tony Stark had lots of value, so the fact that a private meeting was first proposed by said man in question had the brass promptly accepting. Why they weren't going to negotiate themselves, Ironwood wasn't quite sure, but nevertheless he endeavored to do his best to see this through. He would do his duty as a soldier and do what he was told. No matter how little he was going in with, he didn't plan to fail.

James checked the time on his watch. One more minute before the appointed time of meeting and he was right where they needed to be to meet.

"Captain James Ironwood." A voice to his left said. "A pleasure."

The first thing that caught the military man's attention was how immaculate the weapons developer was dressed. Not a wrinkle to be found on his suit and not a hair out of place. His eyes were hidden by a pair of shades.

"Mister Stark." James held his hand out. "Likewise. You're early."

"Can't be too early when it comes to dealing with clients." Tony addressed with an air of cool confidence. "Now then, I take it you've got a place we can talk?"

Thankfully, Atlas Academy was kind enough to offer one of its private conference rooms and Ironwood navigated both himself and his guest through the halls until they entered the meeting room.

"Have a seat." James said. "I think you should go first. Considering that you're supplying Vale with weapons, it's somewhat surprising that you've extended this-"

"Yeah, about that." The Stark CEO interrupted. "You see, I developed a specific weapon for Vale… as in it was made specifically for them and no one else."

"Can you… explain?" James was confused. "Mister Stark-"

"And you can call me Tony Stark." The man removed his shades. "Or Tony if you're feeling lazy. I don't care. Mister Stark can get kind of stuffy sometimes."

"Alright then." James relaxed his posture. "Would you care to explain?"

"The missile I put together for Vale was a crunch job, but I made that missile with Vale in mind. The kingdom relies on natural defenses to stave off the Grimm, right? I figured I'd developed a weapon that respected the environment and left little to no damage. That's why I haven't sold it to any other kingdom."

"So… you would be willing to make weapons for other kingdoms?"

"Provided you're willing to pay for it, be my guest. This stuff isn't cheap by any measure and I'm one man. I'm good at what I do, but I need a stellar team behind me. That's why I'm doing hopscotch from kingdom to kingdom. Finding talent isn't as easy as it sounds."

"I see."

Captain Ironwood carefully processed what he had heard so far. While he was in no position to be making decisions that would affect the fighting efforts of the Atlesian Military, his mind was already running through many different scenarios. How would weapons built for specific kingdoms shift dynamics between kingdoms? How would politics work? Ties, treaties, accords, pacts, so many external variables.

If there was one thing that history had taught him, it was that all events in history had built up to what the world was today. Just as this peace was a part of history, so too was the Great War that had preceded the peace. The fact that nations around the world maintained a fighting force of some kind, whether it be a militia, huntsmen, or militaries, there existed a fighting spirit in all individuals. As long as that spirit remained, so too did the capacity for conflict, battle, and war. The only thing to do was pray to the Gods that there would not be another war between nations. A second Great War might just do them all in.

"I know what you're thinking, Ironwood, and I've taken that into account." Tony seemed to be able to pick up on what he was considering. "All this talk about War and Peace can actually be boiled down to a simple little thing that can be called M.A.D.."

"M.A.D.?" James questioned.

"It stands for Mutually Assured Destruction." Tony's eyes flickered a hint of something that was alien. "Basically, the threat that each nation is capable of destroying each other keeps them from pulling the trigger. War and Peace, right?"

"That is true." James wasn't sure he understood, but he agreed nonetheless. "And you're certain the danger can be marginalized?"

"For a time, maybe. I won't pretend that the danger will just poof out of existence. It won't, but on the other hand, all of these weapons and talks are behind closed doors. I spill some secrets to you, you're not going to tell anyone, are you?"

"I may be required to if my superiors so wish it."

"Then omit a few parts. There's no harm in keeping a few secrets for yourself. Everyone's got their own hidden treasure chest."

"I'm not sure you understand, Mister Stark. If my superiors wish me to tell them everything, I must."

"Then think about it like this. How the weapons relate to other kingdoms doesn't really matter in this case because they aren't related. You're here to talk weapons development for Atlas and I'm happy to give me expertise. The weapons aren't related, so there's no reason to say anymore than you have to. Also, since Stark Industries isn't a publicly-traded company, we can sort out the details before I go public."

"It sounds like you've already got your plan laid out."

"That's the name of the business game, Tin Man."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Sorry. Movie reference, you wouldn't get it. Old movie."

"Ah."

What an odd man. It was quite fortuitous that James had a somewhat lax personality. Being part of this outfit entailed that one have a tough skin and be immune to jokes, taunts, and jeering. That being said, an association with something as soft as tin didn't sit well with him. The reference that he did not understand did not help.

"So, with all of that out of way, we can finally talk about what you really want to hear." Tony held out his scroll. "I'd like to introduce you to the Kronos defense system."

Tossing the device on the table, the 3D hologram fired up and displayed schematics for a multi-missile battery. The captain was able to understanding at least some of the concepts involved. Atlas's citizens generally had a better grasp of technology and science than any other nation in the world. What amazed him was how seamless that such an integration into the military would be if it was implemented. This felt just a little too perfect.

"This kind of fluid assimilation is excellent, perfect even." James began. "If I didn't know any better-"

"You don't know better." Tony countered with a master poker face. "I didn't do anything illegal. I just put two and two together. It's actually quite easy to figure out how a military operates based on public records."

"Really?" James crossed his arms. "You expect me to believe that you just happened to know our current way of doing things based on past knowledge that is not always accurate?"

Tony removed his shades and gave a dead-eye stare to which James mimicked. Both men would not back down from their points and their eyes met in a staring contest. A few seconds passed before the former let a snort out followed by a slow smile.

"You don't approve?"

"No, I don't, but it's not up to me what happens with this whole thing. It's up to the brass. I'm simply the liaison between the Atlas Military and Stark Industries."

"Let me give you a little piece of advice about myself. Whenever someone has secrets to keep, I tend to find out about them. Secrets mean a dark side, and I don't trust anyone that doesn't have a dark side. Call me old-fashioned."

"Disrespectful might be more appropriate."

"Now you're getting it, Tin Man."

James Ironwood pinched the bridge of his nose.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Atlas**

** Schnee Family Manor**

**April 26th, 56 AGW**

Tony had to admit that Jacque Schnee, despite his rather uptight and pompous attitude, knew how to throw an extravagant party. The SDC head had invited him to this high-profile event following their meeting. This extension signalled a successful first impression and the genius inventor was more than happy to attend. There were more than a few people that he wanted to talk to. From industry leaders to celebrities to legends. Not everyone would serve to help Stark Industries, but knowing and connecting with these people mattered.

Much like the host of this party, many of these people belonged to the snotty crowd. Not that the young Stark couldn't understand this mentality; he was guilty of acting the way they did on more than one occasion, but even he could only take so much. At least he liked to think he was more affable to a normal person than these high-strung fakers. Well, for all of his complaints, there were some thing he could take advantage of.

Impressing these sorts of people was what he had trained himself do from a young age. Getting himself dialed into a conversation and getting things going his way was as easy as breathing. Already, he had made an impression on several big wigs as well as a few people on his level. There was also one or two that came up to him and those were just as simple to deal with. More than a few had tried to be condescending to him and the proper response to such a tone was to playfully acknowledge it and throw that smugness back. It was funny to watch some faces deflate or flare up in anger when he proved to be a stone wall and not a piece of paper.

After mixing and mingling for a time, Tony grabbed a wine glass from one of the passing waiters and stood aside and watched the various men and women in the ballroom do their thing. Watching wasn't nearly as fun as doing, but he could certainly get some entertainment value. Additionally, not that anyone here was aware, but he had listened into more than a few private conversations to gleam some juicy details that might come in handy in the future. It haven't been his intention to get in on words not meant for him, but it was too late to take back the things he had heard.

"Mister Stark, correct?" A woman's voice came from his left side.

The twenty-one year-old rotated his head slightly to indicate that he had heard the woman, but he didn't make eye contact with whoever had called out to him. He didn't recognize the voice.

"Who wants to know?" Tony didn't even glance.

"Willow Schnee." A soft voice it was. "You've met my husband."

Hearing the name Schnee, his head turned fully to meet the woman in question. One look at her and it was instantly clear that she was very much a lady born into wealth without knowing anything else, the same life that he had. She was dressed in a very conservative white dress meant to show everyone that she was a cut above them all. At the same time, it accentuated her beauty. One look at her perfect face and there was no doubt that she was attractive all around. There wasn't even a need to do a once-over of her. She was perfect.

"Hmm." Tony gave her an inquisitive look in the eye. "Shouldn't you be with Jacque right now? I would think he'd have you around while he's greeting his guests."

"My husband can be quite animated and absorbed in his discussions with his partners and clients." Willow lowered her head to stare at the ground. "I find myself least useful in such instances."

That was the instance that gave the young man a pause. The way the Schnee maiden spoke of Jacque felt off. Already his mind had run a list of possibilities. No, he wouldn't ask about it. It was far too early to come to the wrong conclusion, so he changed the subject.

"Well, that's a shame." Tony looked away from her to stare at Jack Frost working his magic on some of his guests. "I was hoping that he could introduce me to your father. I've heard great things about Nicholas Schnee. I've always admired men who were self-made."

"I imagine that my father would take a liking to you as well see as you're self-made as well." Willow complimented him. "I regret to say that he's not present. Perhaps another time you may get your chance."

"What, are you saying you can't fill in for him?" Tony returned his attention back to her, his face still neutral. "Surely, you know a few things."

"I'm afraid that I don't possess the same gifts and drive that my father had." Her admittance came forward. "He was always so occupied with every aspect of the SDC that he scantly had time to teach me everything he knew."

"Should you really be telling me this?" He raised an eye at her. "I mean, imagine if I were a scumbag opportunist. If the wrong people knew..."

"It is hardly a secret and it does not matter." Willow sighed as she gazed at her spouse. "Jacque is filling in the role just fine. Everyone flocks to him as a result."

"Nobody pays any attention to you?" Tony decided to play ball and see where it would get him. "Are we sure their eyes are working right? What's not to like about you?"

"That's very kind of you, Mister Stark." Willow smiled slightly at his words.

He had been expecting her to rebuke him with a sort of cold show of thanks, yet instead he received a slight blush of the face and a bit of bashfulness. So apparently, she didn't get this sort of treatment much. There were a few implications behind that realization. His daredevil side tried to push him to go further while his rational side implored him to not do anything that would cause a breakdown in his relationship with the SDC. It was a terse battle which resulted in the latter eventually winning out.

"If you'll excuse me, I think I've honed in on my next target." Tony excused himself with a small bow and he raised his eyes to gaze at her own for a brief second. The effect was instant as she held her gaze with a look that signalled he had her full attention.

He didn't spare her another glance as he departed and searched for another client to speak with. He didn't need see to know that she was still watching his back. He had a sixth sense for this sort of thing. Even if he hadn't let his playboy ways dictate his words, he still grinned at bit at what he had done. Yes, there was danger involved here, but it was thrilling.

And what was life without a little thrill?

* * *

**This chapter was pretty interesting to write and somewhat challenging at the same time. Incorporating some light aspects of my college knowledge in business management was kind of fun, but getting these interactions down was the most challenging. Often times, I'm resorting to pacing around my room and playing the conversations out verbally. In any case, the dialogue is a work in progress, but I will get better.**

**The next order of business is the poll I put on my profile page that asked you the readers to select the four characters that will be the children of our very own Tony Stark. I will say that with the results I'm getting now, we're going to have problems. There are ties in the top four spots and I can't have that. If you haven't voted for your top four, then do so. You readers won't get another chance to affect the story like this. If you have voted, now's your chance to tell me why you think certain characters should be the children of Iron Man.**

**Oh, and for those of you who say that this shouldn't happen, it's going to happen so no amount of persuasion is going to change my mind. It's not that I don't feel for the reasons given to me, but in case you forgot, this is a non-canon story and I've already caused considerable changes in the story by simply making Tony appear on Remnant, so providing canon reasons to not have things happen is kind of pointless in my eyes. It's better that you play along and vote for your favorite characters or explain to me why certain characters work better than others.**

**The other thing I want to point out is that in regards to the characterization of Willow Schnee, I need to clarify and make sure you all understand a few things. We know very little about Weiss, Winter, and Whitley's mother. I know that everyone calls her Willow, but it hasn't been confirmed in the canon to be her name. Also, based on what we know about her from canon, she's a drunk and she's been in a loveless marriage for some twenty-plus years. I'm inclined to believe that at first, she was in love with Jacque but slowly grew disheartened when she began to see him day to day and notice his behavior. Right now, how I portray her reflects a time when she's still in love with Jacque, but still not fully aware of his true reasons for marrying her.**

**Anyway, thank you all for your patience. Reviews are most appreciated as this is a work in progress that I want very much to succeed and any help I can get is appreciated.**

**I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter.**

_**"Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world."**_

**Joel A. Barker**


	4. THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

**CHAPTER 4: THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK**

**Remnant, System Unknown**

** Kingdom of Vale**

** Stark Residence**

** April 27th, 56 AGW**

_"Welcome back to the Vale News Network. My name is Diamond Skylar and the big story right now is the latest press release from Stark Industries. Today, CEO Tony Stark took to the stands and addressed criticisms and complaints levelled against him in regards to his acceptance of Faunus employees in spite of the continued contention and heightened hostilities between Faunus and Humans. The self-proclaimed genius made his stance on the issue very clear and left little room for any debate."_

"Let's see how good I look on that screen." Tony said to himself while watching himself, evaluating his own speech. His face appeared on the screen. He was quite the handsome man, not to toot his own horn. Actually, he was doing just that because he was just that good-looking. Anyway, getting back to the speech...

_ "You know, I've done my research on the Faunus and listened to people who love to complain about them and you know what? I'm calling bullshit on all of it because that's exactly what it is. All of the stupid and nonsensical reasoning is just mind-boggling really. I worked all the problems out in a few minutes._

"_Faunus are lower than Humans? Not buying it considering the fact that there are people in the world with a Human parent and a Faunus Parent. What are you gonna tell those kids with a mommy or daddy that'a a Faunus? And don't get me started on the blood purity spiel. I've heard it before a million times. That's a notion whose time has long since passed. What does it matter as long as both parties want it?_

"_Next up, Faunus don't deserve the same rights as Humans. On what grounds are we talking here? That they're animals? Oh wait, that doesn't exactly hold up because if we can make babies together, then we're all animals by that logic. Oh, by the way, don't do the deed with any real animals. That's just weird and you should forget this part of the speech._

_ "What's next? Ah, Faunus and Humans will never get along. Do you guys remember that war that happened some fifty-plus years ago? I can't seem to remember what it's called. I think it's called the Ungreat War and this is probably wrong, but I think it involved all people from all places in the world. And when the Grimm attacks increased and ceasefires happened, Humans and Faunus came together. Oh and don't forget about the Faunus Rights Revolution. C'mon guys, take the loss like a champ and move on. Nobody cares that your pride was hurt, at least I don't._

_ "And the crux of the argument. This one was so funny that I almost forgot to laugh. The Faunus were slaves in the past. People say that and I ask them to get to the point. The only thing the idiots can say is that that's how things use to be. I say to them this: it's illegal, it's barbaric, and it's just plain wrong. Let's not forget that slavery included Humans too and remember that we're all the same. And this is the present, not the past, so get with the program._

_ "I could go on and on, but you get where I'm going. Point is, I don't care whether you're Human or Faunus, man or woman, old or young, none of that matters to me. When you come into an interview for Stark Industries, I'm only going to ask you one single question: why should I hire you? All the applicant needs to do is prove that they're worth their weight. That's it and I'm sticking by those words._

_ "One other thing. I don't know about the loose screws that some of you have in your skulls, but how can you not appreciate these Faunus beauties? I mean, how can anyone disrespect the bunny ears? Also, cat ears. That's all I need to say. Cat ears._

_ "So I hope that I managed to shut up the critics and pound some sense into their heads. Honestly, I don't know how some people do it, but I want no part in their shitty excuses. Find some other dumbass to preach to. I think… that's all I wanted to say. And don't go trying to analyze my words for greater meaning. What you heard is what you get, end of story. If anyone asks me these questions again, I'm gonna say the same thing like a broken audio file."_

"Maybe a few less swear words, but man I am one sexy beast." Tony congratulated himself. "We're probably gonna lose out on some deals now, but we'll get through it."

The young Stark knew that his highly-controversial words would no doubt affect how the public viewed him and he had taken measures to ensure that he would have enough funds and resources and reputation to whether out any storm. He expected a ton of threats and whatnot to come his way. He had undoubtedly hurt a lot of pride and fueled plenty of hatred, but again, that was to be expected. At the end of the day, he would thrive. He was playing a long game after all and his genius was almost never wrong, at least that's what he said mentally. If anyone asked, he would say he was never wrong period.

_"The Council of Vale, despite the crass nature of Stark's words, will continue its relationship with Stark Industries. Contracts have been finalized are set to take anywhere from one year to as long as a decade-"_

Tony switched off the screen and sat down on his couch. Pretty much everything that had happened was within acceptable parameters and even if things hadn't gone so smoothly, it would've been easy to find another way. It was actually kind of amazing that fortune favored him this day. Even with his genius-level intelligence, there were some things in the world that he couldn't predict or anticipate. As much as he could prepare for almost anything, there was always that one time out of a thousand times that he wouldn't be able to see at all. Well, it hadn't happened to him at all, so as far as he was concerned, that saying was little more than his enemies being hopeful.

Yes, the young engineer had garnered plenty of attention and he knew that he was likely to become the subject of much distaste and hatred. Being who he was and dealing in the business that he did, he would be surprised if he didn't have a target painted on the back of his head. In fact, the dangers of being targeted on Remnant were magnitudes greater than on Earth. This world was in a constant state of warring. Whether it be between the four kingdoms or against the Grimm, there was a never a true state of peace.

With his own well-being in mind, Tony had begun to make inquiries for the services of bodyguards, but he had also done some research into the types of dangers that were most common in the world. So far, based on what he was getting, people in this world were considerably more capable at fighting. That applied to both the legal and illegal side of things. To that end, the questionability of bodyguards was understandable. It would be better to employ the services of more competent protection.

That was where huntsmen and huntresses came in. Even if their primary purpose was to kill Grimm, they were also just as capable of taking on different kinds of jobs and missions that made use of their unique skills and abilities. Bodyguard positions were not uncommon among graduates. It was times like this that the businessman decided that having a connection with Beacon Academy was useful. Now he knew how to best use that internship opportunity he had brought up a month ago. He could use this as a way to make Ozpin owe him a favor or two. It never hurt to have people be indebted to himself.

It would also be a good opportunity to test the waters in terms of how he could make a killing by doing business with huntsmen. He could figure out what exactly they needed for their weapons, field equipment, and other odds and ends. Good old Jacque Schnee might dominate the dust market, but he knew that in terms of competition for huntsmen weapons, there were very few competitors that had a reach in all the kingdoms. For the most part, the market was comprised of small businesses with specialities. If he could harness all of these smaller businesses, he could create the golden standard.

Tony ran a hand through his hair, shaking himself awake from all of these jumbled thoughts of his business. He had plenty of ideas as to how to make these things happen, but until he jotted them down and began working on the details, these ideas were little more than thoughts. Besides, he already had his hands full hammering out all of the newest weapon shipments to the Council of Vale. Just this week, they had requested a shipment of 120 Yaeger Mark I missiles. The cost for a single missile was about 557,000 lien each. The factories he had recently purchases were in total overdrive trying to fulfill this order.

It wouldn't be long before he was selling to all the kingdoms on Remnant. Give it ten years and he would be king of the weapon kingdom.

_Are you smiling now, dad?_ Tony's thoughts drifted to his father. _Are you proud of me?_

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

** Remnant, System Unknown**

** Kingdom of Vale**

** Beacon Academy, City of Vale**

** April 29th, 56 AGW**

"Professor Ozpin?" Summer fidged a bit while standing. "Are... we in trouble?"

"Not at all, Miss Rose." Ozpin dismissed her words. "This is about something else."

"Oh, thank the Gods." Summer's tension lessened and she slumped her head. "I seriously thought we were going to be lectured."

"I swear, banging my head against a wall is better for my health." Qrow grumbled lowly. "Another word from Port and I'll throttle him."

"Why stop there?" Raven grinned savagely. "Why don't we just kill him?"

"I can't tell if you're joking or if you're serious." Taiyang chuckled weakly.

"Ahem." Ozpin cleared his throat to get Team STRQ's attention.

"Oh, sorry professor!" Summer glared lightly at her teammates to shut them up. "What are we here for?"

Ozpin regarded each of them. Summer Rose, Taiyang Xiao Long, Raven Branwen, and Qrow Branwen. All of them were exceptional students and together, they had proven to be nothing short of stellar. As such, he often assigned them to missions usually reserved for the more senior students as well as turning a blind eye to some of their mistakes and pitfalls. Some of the staff at Beacon were critical of this preferential treatment, but he had his reasons and not all of those reasons were out of charity or the goodness of his heart, although quite a few were.

Today was another of those special missions.

"Are you all familiar with Stark Industries?" Ozpin posed a question first.

"Familiar?!" Summer looked a child in a candy store. "I keep up on all the latest news! It's like KA-BOOM! And then KA-POW! I'm all like WHOA, BIG EXPLOSIONS!"

"The name Stark's all over the news." Taiyang nodded as he recounted his knowledge. "Pretty much the major talk of the school and Vale."

"Eh, it's whatever, I don't care." Qrow just huffed. "It's just a guy that makes really big explosions and gets rich doing it. Plus, he's using our name. Not cool."

"Truly, it's not all that impressive." Raven looked bored as she crossed her arms. "We've been there and done that."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, little bird." Tony's voice cut in. "Any idiot can rig an explosive. What I'm creating is controlled mass destruction. Big difference there."

From the shadows came the man in question dressed in a black suit and tie coupled with a grey dress shirt. His eyes hid behind a black pair of shades and his hair was combed neatly with only a slight bang draping over the left front of his face. His posture was straight yet very relaxed at the same time, a combination of serious and calm. Ozpin could only shake his head at Tony's antics. Glancing back to his students, he noticed a varying amount of faces. Summer looked shocked. Taiyang appeared surprised. Raven looked inscrutable. Qrow just looked demure as usual.

"As for you, scarecrow." Tony pointed to the Q of STRQ. "You aren't rich, so you aren't entitled to an opinion about rich people."

"Hmph." Qrow scoffed.

"And good to know that I've become famous, blondie." Next the weapons developer pointed to boy being specified. "Or infamous, I honestly don't know. Which is more likely?"

"Um, I think the second one." Taiyang answered somewhat unsure. "I mean, we're talking about weapons, after all and they're meant to hurt people... or kill them."

"Good point." Tony nodded. "And you, short stack."

"M-me?" Summer pointed to herself, then looked to her teammates, who gave her varying body gestures.

"Yeah, you." Tony affirmed. "I've got many fangirls, but you might be a one-of-a-kind fangirl."

"Pinch me now." Summer said to no one in particular. "Tony Stark is talking to me and he called me a one-of-a-kind fangirl."

"Got it." Raven pinched her leader's cheek.

"Ow!" Summer jumped. "That hurt!"

"You said to pinch you." Raven stepped back with a wicked look. "I am merely following your orders."

"Qrow, Raven's bullying me!" Summer complained. "Stop her!"

"Summer just told me to stop you." Qrow approached his twin. "And I'm following orders too."

"One more step, little brother." Raven threatened. "I dare you."

"Guys, c'mon!" Taiyang forced himself between them. "We're in the middle of an important meeting."

Both black-haired, red-eyed teens stared each other down for a moment more before backing off for the time being and returning to the matter at hand. The two older men in the room regarded them with strange looks.

"You weren't kidding when you said they were a handful." Tony let out a loud breath. "Are we sure they're not high or taking shots?"

"As far as I know, they are perfectly healthy." Ozpin played along. "Although I have not actually done any tests recently."

"No, we're fine!" Summer declared loudly, then switched gears. "Anyway, i-it's an honor, M-mister Stark! I'm a weapon e-enthusiast. Could we trade i-information, weapon-maker to weapon-maker? Maybe? Pretty please?"

The way that Miss Rose stuttered was amusing to watch for the headmaster of Beacon. The young girl was such an awkward and unbalanced conversationalist, but a genuine one nonetheless, something he admired and respected.

"You don't strike me as a weapons enthusiast." Tony looked her up and down.

"What's not to like about them?!" Summer became more animated. "I mean, the sophistication behind it. Are you using some kind of detection system in the dust to react to Grimm?"

"Close, but not quite." Tony seemed only very interested in talking about this topic. "It's more like I've mixed a tiny bit of Grimm composition into my dust formula to create a reaction. Once the dust mixture touches any part of a Grimm, the dust will be triggered and act accordingly."

"But to be able to program dust to respond only to Grimm." Summer was only more fascinated. "You had to have obtained a sample of Grimm biology to do that."

"And I did." Tony freely admitted. "Grimm biology isn't hard to understand. It's actually fundamentally simple. They're comprised of an unstable structure that can actually be broken pretty easily. When they die, the molecular structure breaks apart almost instantly. All I needed to do was exploit their flawed composition."

"OH! Can I know the secret?!" Summer clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture. "I'd love to see if I can apply this stuff to my combat style!"

"Normally, I'm not in the market to give out free info." Despite his words, Tony looked impressed. "But since you asked so nicely, I'll make an exception for you, little woman."

"I'm not little!" The leader of Team STRQ stamped her right foot. "I drink milk!"

"Uh huh." The genius appeared unconvinced.

"Can we get on with this?" Raven interjected. "I would prefer not to hear nerds talk about nonsensical things?"

"Okay, first of all, only smart people can understand our language." The Stark's head tilted towards the black-haired girl. "So your opinion is terrible, like your brother's."

"Yeah!" Summer pumped a fist in the air.

"Summer." Qrow grilled. "Do you mind?"

"Second, I'm the one giving you guys a sneak peak into Stark Industries going-ons." The CEO concluded. "You're welcome, by the way."

"Mister Stark is currently in the prototype phase of a new weapon and he specifically asked for assistance in regards to a field test." Ozpin found his moment to break up the banter. "Thus, the reason I've called Team STRQ here."

"Professor, you don't mean…" Summer seemed hardly able to contain herself. "We're going to-"

"Yes, Miss Rose." The wizard nodded his head. "We are giving you all an opportunity to help with that test. This will be designated as an official mission and you will be given credit as such."

"Of course we're gonna do this!" Summer volunteered her entire team without a moment of thought. "Team STRQ will take this mission with all of our might!"

"We didn't even talk about it." Qrow groaned.

"As leader of this team, I override all of you by default." Summer countered "So there!"

"Don't even bother." Raven put a hand to her face. "It's not worth the energy."

"Well, never a boring day." Taiyang tried to see the silver lining.

Tony tilted his head. "I like this crew, even if they are of a questionable mental state."

"They are currently the best of the first years." Ozpin said. "I have no doubt that their performance will be excellent."

The headmaster had seen many students come and go from Beacon Academy. Team STRQ was not necessarily his absolute favorite, but all the same they were a group he intended to keep an eye on in the future. They all had unique skills, personalities, and motivations he would no doubt be able to use in the battles to come. He was well aware of all the elements of this team, good and bad and he had accounted for the various factors that would affect the future of the team's cohesion. So far, things were looking good, but he would need to remain vigilant if the union was to remain.

Summer Rose was particularly special with her silver eyes, the eyes of a warrior who was meant to hunt and kill Grimm. Their power had faded into obscurity, just like magic had and both were equally rare to find. Still, his enemies knew perfectly well what sort of power that silver-eyed warriors had. The last thing he needed was for any them to find his trump card. Ozpin knew he was taking a massive gamble by placing one of his most important pieces in the care of Tony.

He just hoped that it would yield promising results.

* * *

**RWBY - - - Iron Man**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Vale**

** Stark Industries Temporary HQ**

** May 1st, 56 AGW**

Ghira Belladonna had not always been in the White Fang, but he took immense pride in what he did for them. He felt that he had to; ever since his childhood, he had been without want or need. He had a good family, lots of friends, and was never lacking for ways to be happy as well as ways to improve himself. He had been among the fortunate Faunus. In regards to his personal life, he had few complaints.

And it was a good thing his personal life was well because his time in the White Fang was very hard. Relations with Humans were less than stellar. Still to this day, many decades after the formation of the organization, Faunus were discriminated against in all ways, be it physically, verbally, or otherwise. The man liked to think that things were not nearly as severe as ten years ago and farther back, but he couldn't really say for sure. He fancied himself as a glass half-full kind of guy. Even when Humans had done some pretty horrific things to his kind, that didn't spoil all of them. Too often did a few rotten apples ruin the perception of the entire bunch for many people. He didn't want to be that kind of person. The world didn't operate on simple logic.

However, the past month had proven to be something quite extraordinary in terms of world events. Nary a month ago, Stark Industries had taken to the global stage and had defied any and all expectations. In its short lifespan, it had managed to make profits of tens of millions of lien. If projections were to be believed, hundreds of millions was a real possibility by the end of the year. In five years time, only the Gods knew.

But more importantly to the White Fang, the CEO Tony Stark might as well have lit a powder keg with his latest announcements. The man had confidently declared that he was in the market to hire anyone who was competent no matter who they were or what they were. The fact that a rising star in the business world would be so blatant as to say he would be willing to hire Faunus workers sparked many debates and discussions in the White Fang. Some were skeptical about the nature of the press release while others were optimistic. Many were still on the fence and waiting for results. Regardless of who stood where, it was clear that things were changing quickly.

In fact, things were moving so quickly that mere days ago, the High Leader of the White Fang had recently received a call from the head of Stark Industries himself and today, Ghira would be meeting with the weapons developer. The reason that his superior was not to meet in person was for the sake of caution, an understandable sentiment. Hopefully, things were exactly as they seemed at face value, but with the treatment of Faunus as it was, the fewer chances taken, the better.

Naturally, Ghira was prepared for any and all scenarios. He wasn't one of the most trusted members of the White Fang for nothing. If he needed to he could fight, but he was more a talker and negotiator than anything else. This was his field of expertise and there was talk of him being the next High Leader. That seemed a bit much considering he was still young and had a long ways to go. One thing at a time because right now, the bullhead he was riding on had just landed in front of a large building, a manufacturing plant.

Stepping out of the aircraft, he was immediately greeted by Tony Stark himself. Although considerably taller than his Human counterpart, there was no mistaking the self-assured body language and cool demeanor.

"Ghira Belladonna." The CEO held out a hand.

"Mister Stark." The White Fang member returned the gesture. "I'm looking forward to our talks."

* * *

**Conference Room**

* * *

"I'll be perfectly honest." Tony removed his shades to reveal a pair of dark brown eyes. "That little stunt with the press wasn't just for kicks. Sure, I got a reaction out of people, but I meant what I said. I've seen it all before and if I were to be like everyone else, I'd be letting down some old friends that aren't here."

"I see." Ghira took this in before responding. "You have Faunus friends?"

"No, but I've seen my friends go through treatment similar to the Faunus." Tony sighed as he looked out the window. "But they're out of reach now. I don't know when I'll see them again or if I'll see them again. In any case, I've got nothing against Faunus. That's why I contacted the White Fang: to start a dialogue between Faunus and Humans. You could call it a strategic alliance."

"You'll have to forgive us for being conservative in our approach towards you." Ghira put his hands on the table. "The few dealings we've had with Humans have largely been met with deceit, treachery, and other unfortunate ends."

"Ah, no big deal. There are worse things to deal with. We'll take it in baby steps, figure it out as we go." Tony wasn't the least bit deterred. "To start, what we can do is scratch each others backs so to speak."

"What exactly do you have in mind?" Ghira had a good feeling so far.

"While my company is small in comparison the SDC, I've got big plans for becoming a worldwide name. I'm still working out the bugs, but I plan on going lots of places. That being said, no company can succeed without being charitable and conscious of what's going on in the world. I'm willing to be a sponsor of the White Fang, send some lien your way and in exchange, I'd like to bring in anyone you have that would be a good fit for my company. Basically, funding and manpower in a nutshell."

"It's an interesting offer. While I'm sure that many of our members would relish in the opportunity to be a part of new technologies for the future, our current issue lies in the societal arena. We would need assurances that our people's efforts would be known to the public and that we won't be swept aside."

Ghira was optimistic, no mistaking that, but he wasn't a fool. He always read between the line in any agreement because there was always small print that people often overlooked. When it came to Faunus, that was especially so. Even if a Faunus was accepted into a position of relative or great importance, there was a tendency for their efforts to be marginalized or sometimes swept under the rug, never to be recognized. At the end of the day, since many Humans held their prejudices, they would never allow what they perceived as an inferior species to upstart them. It was a matter of pride.

Not to mention that the few companies that had taken in Faunus were generally slammed and then forced to recant their support. It was a story as old as the White Fang itself and because of this, progress was more or less at a stalemate. The fact that the organization was taking a chance once again proved how hopeful and naive they still could be, but wasn't that the reason why they tried? If there was even the smallest chance of union between the two sides, they would take it. In the end, acceptance was what they all wanted.

"Yeah, sure. I understand that perfectly fine. Actually, I'd already taken this into account when I first founded Stark Industries. Since I've become a part of the defense of the living against the Grimm, it's not like people can turn me down without losing out on major protection. I've made sure that all of my clients can't back out of any agreements we make, not even the SDC."

At this point, Ghira felt that he was leaving everything to chance by continuing to listen to this man. Tony Stark was nothing if not a convincing fellow. He seemed to have this presence about him that told the Faunus man that everything was going to work out in the end. It was nothing more than a purely gut instinct, but Ghira felt now was a good time to be trusting his gut instinct. Whether or not this deal turned into something spectacular or not, trying was the least that he could do, that the White Fang could do.

Brown eyes met gold eyes and for a moment, the latter was asking if all of this was true and not at all a means of deception down the road. The former clearly made eye contact with a serious look. Those were not the eyes of a liar. Those were the eyes of someone who would follow through with what he said. He would do everything in his power to see that his words were made into reality, at least that's what appeared to be so.

"Will this be a formal agreement or are we only speaking word-to-word?" Ghira asked.

Tony sat back. "For now, we'll convey the basic details and then finalize and formulate a traditional contract. There are a few smaller things I wanted to ask about."

"I'll answer to the best of my ability." Ghira prepared himself.

The ball was rolling now and who knew if it could be stopped.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Vale**

** Stark Industries Temporary HQ**

** May 4th, 56 AGW**

It was weird being able to simply do nothing important. Granted, there wasn't an awful lot going on yet. Yes, he was busy responding to emails, making calls, conferring with new employees, and a bunch of other duties, he still found himself with time on his hands. He wasn't sure how long that was going to last. Once things really took off, he would have to begin working in earnest, at least that's what a normal person would say.

But Tony Stark wasn't normal.

For one, he was genius, so he could do things normal people do and do it better as well as faster, so he probably would have plenty of time to spare for himself because God knew he needed lots of downtime. Second, he was going to change this world on a fundamental level. The name Stark would become burned into everyone's mind when all of his plans and ambitions came to fruition. It wasn't arrogance saying this, just a mere statement of fact. All the numbers and variables were in his favor, end of story and if there were complications along the way, then he'd deal with them. The one thing that man never did was give up, otherwise he wouldn't be able to call himself a man.

Tony's eyes wandered around his office, the mess catching his eyes. Ever since his move from Beacon Academy, he had taken to work immediately separating what he needed right now from what he would need in the future. The Arc Reactor that had somehow brought him to Remnant was currently in pieces. He didn't trust the thing not to teleport him somewhere else. Instead, he was focusing his efforts on a reactor specifically to power Stark Industries. It would be his trump card and one of many renewable power sources he intended to make use of. He wouldn't even bother to make a show of using dust as a power source. He would only use dust in his weapons and nothing more.

And speaking of weapons, the next phase of weaponry was getting closer. The Yaeger Missile was soon to follow. Infantry armaments were already in the development stages. Rifles, pistols, other firearms that made use of dust in unconventional ways. With a little bit of technological know-how from Earth, he would be inventing and innovating at the same time so to speak. That would be how it would work for a time until he felt that dust was no longer essential to his ability to manufacture weapons.

Team STRQ would get to test those bad boys.

Tony noticed the perfectly-shaped dust crystals on his desk, each element placed within a sturdy glass case. It was kind of hard to believe these little things were what gave huntsmen a fighting chance against the Grimm. If not for dust, Mankind would've kicked the bucket thousands of years ago. Although his notes on each element and their effects had yielded dozens of pages of notes, there was one thing he was confused about. Since all of it was mined from the ground, what caused it end up there in the first place? If formed naturally, what phenomenon allowed it? If put in the ground by someone, who would have the power to affect an entire world?

He might not have work to do, but he did have lots of research in the bags.

* * *

**The beginning of Stark Industries is in the works and I can tell you that it's going to be a long road. I won't bore you guys with all the details, but this story will feature critical points of interest and the rise of the name Stark on Remnant. Keep in mind that this is merely the beginning of it all. There is still much more to be done and until I've set up the foundation, my other ideas will have to wait for a time. Hopefully, it will all come together nicely.**

**The next order of business is the votes concerning who Tony will be the father of. The poll on my profile page now doesn't feature any ties, but with events in the story progressing as they are, the poll could be taken down and its results finalized when I deem it necessary. If you still haven't voted for your FOUR FAVORITE characters to be the biological father of Iron Man, then go vote while you still have a chance. The results have been interesting thus far, I'll say that much.**

**Another thing that's got my attention is how quite a few of you have been vocal about Willow being paired with Tony. Let me just that I don't see that working. I say that because in the canon story, she's done nothing so far to end her suffering and pull herself up. As far as I can tell, she's just a rich drunk who doesn't have the will or conviction to turn her situation around. Granted, this is the canon timeline and I've already done goofed it up with this story, but the fact remains that based on what I know, I have no reason to believe that Willow will do anything more than act rebellious in very tiny ways and otherwise be very passive. U****nless I'm given a really compelling reason in Volume 7 to change my characterization of Willlow Schnee, then this pairing is not viable.**

**By contrast and to my knowledge, Tony Stark (the MCU version) has always found the inner strength to get up when he was beaten down. Yes, he asked for help along the way, but before he did, he did whatever was within his own power to save himself. Like a true hero, when he needed to do things himself, he did so. Plus, the fact that Tony has been wrestling so many inner demons in additions to being Iron Man makes him that much more admirable.**

**So that begs the question: who will be paired with Tony? Well, for starters, she needs to be a woman who is willful, strong, and not afraid to talk back to Tony. At the same time, she needs to be his best friend, supportive of his decisions good or bad, and be willing to accept him for who he truly is, strengths and weaknesses. Also, being able to keep up with him is a plus. With all this in mind, suggestions and reasons for who is the best woman for Tony can be left in a review.**

**Also, until we get to that point, we're still in the playboy stages, but as far as I understand it, virtually all charcters that I have in mind aren't of age yet, so there will be NO hooking up until legal age is attained. Tony may be a womanizer, but even at this stage of his morality, he does have lines he will not cross. Until these characters are of adult age, there will be no sexy time.**

**With all of that done, please leave a review. Feedback is always appreciated. I've said it before and I'll say it again: writing Iron Man is challenging so I hope that I'm doing the character justice. Any ways to help improve my characterization of him would be greatly appreciated.**

**I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter.**

_**"Either I will find a way, or I will make one."**_

**Philip Sidney**


	5. PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS?

**CHAPTER 5: PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS?**

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Vale**

**Commercial District**

**May 5th, 56 AGW**

If there was ever one thing that would almost always make Tony Stark irritable, it would be when he was at his least creative. As an engineer, he made it his mission to always be inventive or failing that, innovative. Granted, not every idea that he had concocted was a terrific idea, but even with ideas that were out there, an even greater idea could blossom. The key was to always create something new regardless of whether it was good or bad. As long as that was the case, then everyday could be considered a success in its own way.

Today, however, the young inventor found himself at a loss for new ideas. Recently, he had been going through whatever his mind knew about weapons from Earth. Every idea that was even remotely applicable to Remnant he would draft and try to see how much of this planet's technologies and resources he could use to retrofit these already-existing designs. Generally speaking, it was an easy-going process. Reconciling the differences was easy and more often than not, problems were few and far in-between.

It also helped that the people that he had begun bringing in were very competent at working with his ideas and see what could be used in Stark Industries. As a weapons developer, they always had to be constantly on the cutting edge. The dangers of becoming the top dog in the world were many, one of the most dangerous being complacency. To avoid such a fate, the new hirees brought in were heavily screened. Not just their technical knowledge was scrutinized. Their attitudes and mindsets were also watched carefully.

Tony knew that in order to build the best version of his company, he would need like-minded people who shared his desire to never give up in the pursuit of greater advancements. These men and women would all be expected and encouraged to pitch in their own ideas good or bad just like he had done. Actually, quite a few had begun to do so. There was no expectation for any of them to create something world-changing, but a number of decent proposals had come up. He had given a few some thought and deemed one or two worthy to become mainline products with a few tweaks and additions.

Right now, the priority was to make profit with the Council of Vale. They were his main source of business right now and as things stood, making sure his orders to them were fulfilled in a timely fashion was what he was focusing on the most. Part of the business strategy was to always give what the people wanted and then some. Even better yet, giving the people something that they never knew they wanted was even better. One day, he would reach that stage, but for now, fulfilling a want was just as good of a start.

Now that he had a bit of time on his hands, he realized how little he had taken a break. This wasn't exactly how he imagined his life. Starting an entirely new business was easy in theory, but getting to the end result was time consuming. It would be a while before the man was as rich as his father, but he would do it. He just had to do it no matter what, otherwise what was even doing this for?

Tony decided that a change of pace would be a good idea. It was time to go out and just do whatever came naturally. Whether that be getting food, exploring the sites, or maybe trying his luck at a bar with some chicks. His work had left him not really thinking about getting some fine tail. Now that he was thinking about it, letting off some steam might actually do him some good. So he put on some casual clothes, grabbed his scroll and sunglasses, then took to the streets.

The art of picking up girls and sleeping with them was actually not nearly a complicated as many guys made it out to be. In truth, women wanted a good time just as much as any guy did, but the way most guys presented themselves made them far less desirable than they could be. One of the most painful things to watch men do around women is supplicate in order to appear more compatible to a desired partner. That just screamed insincerity not to mention a lack of confidence. Guys with confidence in what they said and what they thought were often the winners; also, being able to withstand and retaliate disapproval was key. Pleasing everyone was impossible to begin with.

As the young inventor made his way through the streets, he noticed the sun was about to set. The late afternoon light bathed the streets in a painting-like setting. If he were an artist, this could be considered a pretty nice scene to put together on a canvas. That wasn't to say he couldn't paint or draw. Hell, he did that quite often when it came to inventing, but there was a wide gap between drawing schematics and drawing a scene like this one. Why was he even thinking about this to begin with?

Tony became so engrossed in his thoughts that it wasn't until too late that he saw the person coming at him. It was fleeting glimpse and he couldn't get enough details before he felt a collision. He felt himself falling backwards and it was only thanks to his quick mind that he regained control and balanced himself out.

"Anyone get the license plate on that one?" The genius said to no one in particular.

"You were not hit by a car!" A feminine voice responded. "We collided!"

"Yeah, I get that!" His mouth was quick to quip back. "It's called a figure of speech!"

His eyes fell towards the ground where the person had fallen. A girl was on the ground, a teenager from the looks of her. The first thing that stuck out to him was her hair. It was incredibly orange, so much so that it was kind of blinding. Besides her hair comparing to a carrot color-wise, her eyes were a bright green. She was wearing a pink bow that seemed to accentuate her features even more. Her features made her kind of cute, but it wasn't anything he hadn't seen in other women, yet there was something about her that made her not quite what she appeared on the outside.

"Salutations!" The girl called out to him.

"Um, hi." Tony felt unsure of how to respond to such enthusiasm in a predicament like this. "Are you okay?"

"I'm wonderful, thank you for asking." She remained on the ground as she spoke as if this was normal for her. "And you?"

"Fine, no damage here." Tony replied with a raised eyebrow. "So… do you… want to get up or what?"

She took a moment to think about it. "Yes!"

He took note how she moved herself and realized she was about to do a kick up. By itself, that wasn't a problem, but the fact that she was wearing a summer dress and doing that move made him turn his head away and close his eyes just to be safe. A womanizer he might be, but he knew better than to say or do anything that implicated him in a bad light. The last thing he needed was people getting the wrong idea about him.

"My name is Penny!" The girl who named herself extended a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"Penny." Tony tested the name while taking her hand and shaking it. "I'm Tony Stark!"

"I see!" Penny looked him up and down. "I'm getting to meet a famous person. This is truly a spectacular day!"

In all of his life, the young man could never recall ever meeting anyone with this level of energy. Such characters were often restricted to fiction, but to see one in action was quite a different experience. With all the jaded and disillusioned and frustrated people he had to deal with in the world, this was uncharted territory for him. He wasn't quite sure if his normal approaches to conversation would work in this instance, but still he had to do something, so he did what came to him naturally.

"If you think I'm famous now, give it ten years!" Tony boasted lightly. "I'll be the ruler of Remnant before you know it!"

"But the four kingdoms did away with monarchies after the Great War." Penny tilted her head in confusion. "Surely they wouldn't accept a ruler now after so long."

This straightforward way of interpreting his words was comical, enough so that the young Stark who rarely laughed chuckled. When was the last time that he had gotten in touch with his humorous side like this? It felt like he was breaking new barriers today.

"I didn't mean it literally." Tony waved her off with a light laugh. "I was speaking metaphorically."

"Oh, I see!" Penny nodded her head. "Well, then I wish you well in taking over the world metaphorically speaking!"

_This girl is weird, but in a good way._

"We're going to get along just fine, friend." He declared.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

Penny often didn't get out due in no small part to her father who always worried about what she did and where she went and who she was with. It did restrict what she was capable of doing things on her own. Regardless, she always found new and interesting ways to get out and find cool new things. Everything was so exciting and interesting and new that she couldn't help but gush over small things that others might consider pedestrian and commonplace.

That applied especially to meeting new people. She didn't have any friends at all and she didn't have anyone that she could talk to about stuff, not even her father. He kept telling her that it was for her own good that things were the way they were, but that didn't stop her from wanting more right now. That was why she had to get real creative when it came to fooling her father. They were busy and it wasn't too hard for her to find ways to leave the house and explore. She wondered for how long this would keep up.

But those matters were far from her mind. In this moment, she was talking to Tony Stark, the newest celebrity in Vale. As a weapons designer and engineer, he had to be really talented when it came to all the technical things. Although she couldn't consider herself gifted or knowledgeable about any of that stuff, it seemed interesting all the same. He must know a whole lot about dust and science and all of that.

But what did he just say?

"What did you call me?" Penny leaned in closer, her face only mere inches from his own.

"Uh, friend, I think." Tony took one step back.

"You want to be my friend?" Penny felt breathless for a second. "Am I really your friend?"

When she looked into his brown eyes, he appeared hesitant at first, like he was unsure of what to do. That made her feel a twinge of pain. Was it too much that she asked to be his friend when they had just met. How did one go from an acquaintance to a friend? If she had more friends, then maybe she wouldn't have to worry about this so much.

"Yeah, sure, go for it, kid." The man grinned, albeit awkwardly.

The teenage girl felt her soul lifting up and she cheered to the sky and felt so much more happier. Perhaps luck was favoring her this day or maybe the Gods had heard her wish for friends and responded in kind. Whatever the case may be, she finally had a friend. Someone called her friend.

"Sensational!" Penny finally managed to condense her thoughts into words. "Now we can paint our nails, try on clothes, and talk about cute boys."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up little lady!" Tony gently put her hands down. "That's the kind of stuff you do with your girl friends."

"Actually, I like boys!" Penny corrected him. "I feel no attraction to other girls!"

"I meant friends who happen to be girls." Mister Stark explained with slight exasperation. "Understand?"

"I most certainly do!" The ginger nodded her head, then frowned slightly. "But what do we talk about then?"

"Well, if we're going to talk about something, it comes down to these subjects." Tony began listing. "Technology, business, and… you know what, never mind that third topic. Just tech and business."

"What is the third subject?"

"It's nothing I should be talking about to a kid." He shook his head.

"I am not a child." She gave him a pout. "I am seventeen years old."

"Still a kid to me." He rebuffed her. "So no, that third topic is off the table until you turn into a legal adult."

Penny considered pursuing the mysterious subject further, but when she met his eyes, it was apparently clear that he had no intention of revealing it. His brown eyes met her green eyes with a look of calm that showed no signs of weakness. Eventually, she had no choice but to back down for now. Privately, she was determined to find out what exactly he wished to hide with her. She couldn't wait for her birthday. That was months away.

"I see that you're still trying to work out my secret." The CEO picked up on what she was thinking. "Don't you know that everyone has their secrets?"

"Everyone?" The young girl tilted her head. "Is that true?"

"Believe it, ginger snap." He made a motion across his chest. "Everyone keeps a secret or two close to their heart. Even friends and family do it. You've got to have a few things you wouldn't want to talk to others about."

Now that she brought it up, there were a couple embarrassing things that she didn't wish to speak of. It wasn't that they were necessarily extremely damaging, but all the same, she didn't want to talk about it. Her being without friends was one of those secrets. She just wanted to be a normal girl and have a good life, but her family circumstances prevented that. Her mother died in childbirth and her father had become overprotective as a result. Actually, her entire family life was something she preferred not to talk about if she could help it, not when the students in her class had lives that seemed much more happier.

"I understand." Penny lowered her head. "I will not ask again."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't beat yourself up over it." Tony replied back with more energy than her. "Come on, ginger snap. Head up, eyes forward. Boys love a girl that smiles a lot."

"My father doesn't like it when I talk to boys." Penny perked herself back up. "Whenever I want to spend time with one, he chases them away."

"Yikes." Tony cringed at this news. "Then I'd better be careful not to step on a landmine."

"Don't worry, Mister Stark." Penny saluted him proudly. "I will vouch for you as my first and best friend."

She wanted to make sure that he had no doubts about being friends with her. It was because her father was so worried about her that she couldn't really have the things that everyone else had. That being said, one look at her new companion and it was clear that while he was off put by what she had told him, he wasn't quite backing away from her like the other teenagers at school did. That had to be a good sign.

Of course she had a great deal to learn about friendship. She didn't even have friends that were of the same sex as herself. The reason for that was similar to why she couldn't interact with boys. It felt like everywhere she went she just couldn't get her foot in the door no matter what she tried. Maybe it wasn't just because of her only parent. Likely it had to do with how she presented herself. Being abnormal extended to virtually all aspects of herself. She couldn't help all of it, but there it was.

"So, anyway, it looks like you're not doing anything right now." Tony looked left and right. "And it's about lunch time right now."

"I know a place where we can eat good food for a good price." Penny's thoughts turned to food. "I can show you where it is."

"What kind of food are we talking about here?"

"Noodles."

"Like Chineese noodles?"

"What's a Chinese?"

"It's a term where I'm originally from. Don't worry about it. Anyways, it's noodles. That's cool. I haven't had any in a good while."

Penny had decided that Tony Stark was indeed a very strange man. Obviously, he was much different than the average man. He was the CEO of an ever-growing company. His way of speaking in public was quite unorthodox in comparison to that of his contemporaries. He wasn't one to speak such plain and simplistic words. If she was to assign a single word that embodied him, she would say 'complicated.'

But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Someone with many different sides had a plethora of different ways to interact with the world. The orange-haired girl liked getting to know the world around her. That included the people in it and the more interesting people she could find, the more excitement she would find out of life.

And she was getting ahead of herself once again. One thing at a time. She first needed to make sure that she did her best as a friend.

"The noodle stand is this way." Penny pointed in the general direction. "I promise you that it'll be worth your time."

"Whatever you say, ginger snap." Tony nodded.

"Is that my nickname?" She regarded him with a curious face.

He looked off to the side. "It's my nickname for you."

That made her happy.

* * *

**RWBY - - - Iron Man**

* * *

For the rest of the day, the young Stark followed Penny around and they did nothing in particular. They just went from place to place doing whatever garnered their fancy or to be more precise, what garnered Penny's fancy. Tony just went along with her, watching everything she did with a careful eye.

Something about her made him cautious. It wasn't just that she was a minor and that he may or may not get into trouble depending on how he acted around her. The way she went about things, being so happy and cheerful and energetic. For the life of him, he couldn't understand it because he had never seen anyone even come close to what she was doing. Sure, he had seen plenty of films and television shows depicting such bombastic characters, but to see it in real life was something else entirely.

He had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, he couldn't deny that it was because of her happy go-lucky attitude that he found himself wanting to learn more about her. On the other hand, he wasn't sure if he could put up with this sort of thing for long. If she didn't display more emotions, then he would have to consider the possibility that something was definitely wrong with her. People just didn't act like she did, but he couldn't say for sure why she was this way. Just because someone was different didn't make them wrong.

As someone who had been brought up in the household of a billionaire, Tony knew that there was a very big difference between how he was raised and how everyone else was raised. He was taught to view the world differently than most people. Where a normal man would give up where there was a seemingly impossible challenge to tackle, he would face it head-on and not give up until he had won. Where a normal man might think in terms of the present, he was thinking decades ahead of now and even beyond his own life.

Knowing all of this, he held back some of his feelings he had regarding Penny. She was just a teenage girl who was a little more gung-ho than that of her peers. Until he was given undeniable proof that there was more going on that what seemed to be on the surface, he wouldn't be so quick to judge. He was better than the average person after all, so he should be able to manage that much at least.

Besides, who was he to crush such a powerful spirit? Let teenagers be teenagers. It wasn't all that long ago that he was one himself. He remembered the time he spent at MIT and it was one of the busiest times of his life, but he did enjoy his time there all the same. All of his energy was dedicated to creating new kinds of technology that would one day shape the world. He no longer had Earth, but he could still make a difference in this world world. It was in his blood as a Stark to shake things up wherever he went.

As they both did everything and nothing, he couldn't help but feel like there was something off about this whole thing. It was little more than a gut instinct, but it was a strong one.

"Question for you, not that you need to answer it. I'm just curious." Tony felt the question gnawing at him. "Are you, by chance… do you… have problems with your family?"

Not even a day had gone by and already he was asking what he believed to be a very personal question. Whether or not she would answer him was anyone's guess. If there was one thing he could say, how he handled these next few minutes would determine the nature of their relationship going forward. Strangely enough, he felt a tiny bit of anxiousness building up inside him, but he kept it hidden behind his trademark look of calm indifference. All he could do now was see how she responded.

_Besides, didn't I just get done saying that people have secrets?_ Tony could beat himself over the head.

At first, she didn't say or do anything. She kept walking and he followed her, but her movement slowed and she eventually stopped. The streets were becoming more quiet so there was no risk of them causing a traffic jam of any kind on the sidewalk. Moments crawled by as if they were minutes. Silence reigned between them.

Penny hung her head, then spoke. "My father doesn't let me get out a lot. Ever since my mother died giving birth to me, he's always been worried about what I do and where I am and how I'm doing."

Tony's thoughts turned to his own father. Howard Stark felt like the exact opposite of Penny's father. His old man felt distant, out of reach for most of his life. Every time he did something big, he hoped that it might capture the man's attention. Nothing ever did and he couldn't even remember a single time that Howard ever said he loved him or even liked him for that matter.

"You know, you're not obligated to share all the details with me." Tony backed up the conversation. "I was just asking."

"No, it's alright." Penny turned around and looked at him with the first expression he had seen from her that wasn't positive. "I think talking about it might help me get perspective. I might be able to resolve the issue if I get a friend's opinion."

Playing counselor wasn't exactly what he had in mind. He wasn't even sure if he was going to be of any help. Nevertheless, decided that a serious conversation like this ought to be addressed with all the earnestness he could muster. He had said she was his friend and he wasn't about to go back on a promise.

"Alright, but how about we sit down somewhere?" Tony pointed up ahead. "We can get a drink and talk it over. No promises that I'll be able to solve your problems."

"I'm thankful enough that you care to listen." Penny nodded her head. "That's all I dare to ask for."

A short walk found both of them sitting on the roof of a cafe drinking coffee. Frankly speaking, neither were really focused on their drinks, just the words that would come next.

"Mister Stark-" She began.

He shook his head. "Just call me Tony. We're not here to conduct business."

"...Tony." She looked awkward saying his name. "... have you ever had a disagreement with your father?"

"Plenty." He nodded his head while staring off in the distance. "I didn't even know what was going on in that head of his half the time, but one thing I'm sure of was that I wasn't on his mind all that much. In that sense, I have the opposite problem you do."

"That sounds difficult." She took a sip from her cup. "I can't imagine my father ignoring me. Usually, whenever I go anywhere, he asks me for all the details. Then he scolds me and the cycle repeats."

"If you can't do a lot of stuff, then how'd you get out here?"

"I have discovered numerous ways to slip past my father's guard. He's often busy with work so he can't always keep a close eye on me."

"So you've got a devious side." Tony chuckled. "That's kind of cute, the idea of you being a rebel…"

"Well, I wouldn't have to do this if he would let me have more freedom." Penny puffed her cheeks out in annoyance. "It's not like I want to go behind his back. I respect my father immensely. I just wish that he would allow me to do more than go to school."

So she said, but her respect wasn't so much that she couldn't see what was going on. He could relate to what she was doing. That was something he could never quite do himself. Being unruly in small ways, yet never enough to truly anger the parent. As much as he wished he could've been a little bit more reliant upon himself, he knew that deep down, he craved his father's approval. If there was one thing that he and Penny had in common, it was respect for their fathers.

But unlike her, Tony's father was gone and he still had no idea what his father really thought about him. She had the chance to find out and it was better that she do so before she lost the chance forever.

"You know, now might be just as good a time as any to ask your old man what he wants from you." Tony chimed in with some advice. "What you want from him, clear the air, make your feelings known, all that jazz."

"I don't know." Penny looked at her hands. "It's been like this for as long as I can remember that it's hard to imagine change."

"Look, it's better than sitting on it forever. If you guys even talk about it, that's good. No one said change was easy. In fact, it's not. I can attest to that fact, but you'll never know unless you try, right? So what are you going to do about it?"

"I… I… want things to be different."

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

After their heavy discussion, Penny and Tony began talking about various stories in their lives. She told him about herself and he told a bit about himself. It was hard to coax many details from him as he seemed dead-set on keeping as much away from her as possible, but she had managed to get a few things from him.

He had lived a life without much worry financially speaking. He loved his mother. He had friends somewhere far away. Simply put, there was a life he had left behind in order to start one here in Vale.

That was when night had fallen and the two of them parted ways, exchanging scroll numbers. It was another reminder that she had made her very first friend. This day was the happiest day she had felt in a good while, but that happiness might soon come to an end. She was already late enough as it was. She didn't imagine the tongue-lashing she would get would be a nice one.

Penny ran through the streets, taking great care not to bump into anyone. If she was to get home to an upset father, she would rather not looked injured or otherwise unkempt. No misunderstandings would be nice based on appearance alone.

By the time she caught sight of her home, she was panting from the exhaustion of having run for so long. She wasn't unfit per say, but she wasn't an athlete either. It was actually amazing that she had made good time. The lights were on and she knew what that meant. Walking up to the door, she took a moment to mentally prepare herself for what was to come. Carefully, she opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it.

Her father was waiting on the other side. His expression was neutral, but she was wary.

He looked her up and down. "Penny, where were you?"  
"I was out in the shopping district." She told him the truth.

"Why are you late?" He asked next.

"I was caught up. I came across some people I know from school. We talked for a while and I lost track of time."

She didn't like lying much and she wasn't very good at it to begin with. No doubt her father was thinking the same thing. She would be surprised if he bought what she was selling.

He sighed. "Were you doing anything I wouldn't approve of?"

"Of course not." She shook her head.

Was now a good time to have that talk with him? Would he even listen?

"Penny, what have I told you about-"

"Father, I've been meaning to talk to you about something."

She blurted it out without thinking and his eyes locked onto hers.

* * *

**This was probably not what many of you had in mind when you thought about Penny, but there is a reason for me doing this. For those of you that are confused, this is what I call the "real" Penny. She's not an android created for war. She's just a normal human girl with some slight father issues. The show always seemed to hint at overprotectiveness in a way.**

**In other news, the polls have yielded some fascinating results. At this point, I can safely say that at least one character has secured a lead that isn't likely to be overtaken. Number two is behind number one by a considerable margin, but is still ahead of three and four by a comfortable lead. Three and four has seen many contestants and ties.**

**If you haven't voted for the pole, this will be your last time to do so. By the time the next chapter is posted, the results will be decided. Also depending on which characters are elected to be the children of Iron Man will also affect the relationship that their mothers have with Tony Stark.**

**My apologies for the delay and thanks for reading. Feedback is greatly appreciated.**

_**"I have learned that friendship isn't about who you've know the longest, it's about who came and never left your side."**_

**Yolanda Hadid**


	6. BUSINESS, LOTS OF BUSINESS

**CHAPTER 6: BUSINESS, LOTS OF BUSINESS**

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Vale**

**Stark Residence**

**May 12th, 56 AGW**

Tony knew he was many things: rich, good-looking, smart, charismatic, athletic, the whole package. He was what women wanted and what men wanted to be. He couldn't control that he was born and bred with these things; he merely embraced who he was inside and out and rolled with everything life threw at him with the best that he could muster.

But if there was one thing that he didn't ever expect to be, it was a therapist. Yeah, he knew how to figure out what people wanted and compare that to what he wanted. The thing was that this ability tended to only applied to certain aspects of people. The business side, the pleasure side, the fun side, all of that stuff he knew well, but when it came to emotions and feelings deep down, he avoided those like the plague. It made him think about his mother and father; he didn't want to think about them at all, period.

However, just as he couldn't control how he was born and raised, his life wasn't always his to control. As it turned out, Penny had done just as he said and gone to her father with his advice. Apparently, things were better between father and daughter. The ginger-haired teenager seemed even brighter than usual as hard as that was to believe. The genius thought that it was virtually impossible for a single person to be so positively vibrant, but she did it somehow. It was like he had discovered a rare gem and now he wasn't sure if he was handling it properly.

Tony was so unsure of how to keep his friendship with the girl going simply because he didn't want to do anything that might affect her in a bad way. His interactions with the opposite sex could be limited to a few avenues: business, sex, or nothing at all. He didn't have a single friend that was a girl. The way he currently acted around her was exactly how he acted when it came to his guy friends. He joked, he said some half-baked stuff, and sometimes said something normal. He kept the adult things to himself. The point was that their ability to connect was limited.

But the way Penny kept up that enthusiasm compelled him to at least try and do whatever he could to keep her around. Frankly, he didn't think he was doing a good job of being a friend, yet she stuck around, listening to what he said and absorbing his words like a sponge. That last part scared him the most. He most certainly did not want to spout off nonsense that made even a tiny amount of sense and have her take it as fact. To facilitate this self-imposed rule, he decided to educate her appropriately.

Which was the reason why today, as they sat in his personal workshop, Tony decided that if he was going to teach Penny anything, it was what he did best: engineering, robotics, and physics. This way, he would be providing her with useful tools and skill sets for the future and not potentially sabotaging the girl's innocence. Who knows, maybe she would be so good that she would be able to intern with Stark Industries.

_Whoa there, cowboy._ Tony had to contain himself. _We're not in a hurry to find ourselves a prodigy._

His thoughts on the matter dissipated when he remembered that he was supposed to be watching the ginger-haired girl as she worked. Currently, she was using a soldering iron to assemble incomplete components for a supercomputer he was testing out. Normally, he wouldn't trust anyone but himself to do such a task, but given the teeenager's ability to listen and retain, he made an exception. Plus, it helped that the simple engineering that he had tested her with didn't challenge her much.

So far, Penny was doing an excellent job for her first time working with tools. If the young CEO didn't know any better, he would say that she had been doing this for a very long time. He wondered if perhaps she had a talent for getting good at things. Every task he had told her to do she did with his exact instructions and not a piece out of place. With enough time and experience, there was no telling what this cookie would be able to come up with on her own. Well, he could imagine a wide variety of scenarios, all of them crazy and maybe completely bonkers, but genius was often misunderstood. He would know, being one himself.

"Not bad, ginger snap." Tony admired her almost-perfect work. "Keep this up and you'll be an inventor in no time."

"I am simply thankful for the time you take to teach me such fascinating subjects!" Penny spoke, pausing her work. "There's something wonderful about bringing new creations to life! It's like breathing life into something that normally isn't alive!"

"I hear that." Tony grinned at her description. "We're the artists of machinery. What we create is akin to magic and if you learn by my example, we're going to the wizards of the world in the future."

"But magic doesn't exist." Penny moved to correct him on instinct. "The closest to supernatural power is aura."

"Well, yeah, I guess." Tony heaved a heavy sigh. "I still can't wrap my head around this aura mumbo jumbo. It makes no logical sense. The soul isn't a physical thing, yet it can generate a protective barrier around a person?"

All efforts by the Stark heir to research aura had him coming up with more questions and less answers. Who gave Mankind this power? Was aura truly meant for the use that it saw today? If a soul was the generator of aura, then was it possible for the soul to have a sort of physical bearing? Although still highly skeptical of aura and how it functioned, the undeniable usage of aura and semblances couldn't be ignored. Accepting their existences was fine, but he wasn't about to take basic information at face value.

And that was working with his own aura. He had no way of accounting for the numerous people around the world that had aura and semblances. It was all overwhelming to take it. Between this personal research and his work for his company, this could take a long time to finish.

"I wouldn't know much about huntsmen and huntresses." Penny shrugged her shoulders. "I have no aspirations to become a Grimm killer."

"You say that like killing Grimm's a bad thing." Tony gave her a look. "Well, not that I have much to complain about. I do make weapons to kill them."

"Will I ever get a chance to work on a weapon?" Penny asked while resuming her work.

"Nope. The last thing I need is the media getting wind of this and coming to the conclusion that I'm using kids to make weapons." Tony didn't seem all that frightened by that prospect. "Actually, that's not the worst idea ever."

If such a thing happened, he would have to give a public speech, but he wouldn't be issuing an apology nor would he be cowering before the media. That would make him look spineless. No, he would play it off, making the case that by teaching the future generation to use weapons properly, he was preparing them to protect themselves. While his main buyers would be governments, who said anything about stopping there? There was quite a market for civilian protection. Firearms, protective gear, and other survival needs could come out of Stark Industries.

"So what am I building?" She lightly blew some air to cool down a bit of metal. "I understand it's a supercomputer, but what will it be used for?"

"That right there is the beginning stages of what I like to call Project Terminator." He could see the end of this world right now courtesy of James Cameron.

"What are you going to terminate?"

"Nothing. It's just a name. You know, I ad-lib a lot, so don't take everything I say so literally."

"If you say so, Mister Stark."

"Ahem."

"I mean Tony."

"Better, ginger snapper."

In all seriousness, he wasn't about to have Penny be involved in the shady business that was weapons manufacturing. She was just too good for this world to become corrupted by such a dark line of work. No matter how much Stark Industries was legally sanctioned to conduct the business that it did, it didn't change the fact that this was dirty money, but better the guy who's got Mankind's back than someone more sinister.

Tony had no reservations about what he did, but when it came to others, he wasn't about to make their decisions for them. Everyone had their strengths and weaknesses. All in all, this teenage girl with the most chipper attitude ever wasn't destined to be the girl who got her hands dirty. No, she would change the world through good deeds and a warm smile. She had no reason to get further involved than she already was. Really, this was a bit too close for comfort.

She called it friendship what they had and he could only cringe internally to a degree. He wasn't a good friend for her. There were better people that she ought to be associating with, but she chose to stick by him. No, nevermind that, she didn't have friends period for some oddball reason.

More kinks to work out.

And on second thought, Penny was NOT going to intern with him.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Atlas**

**Schnee Family Manor**

**May 16th, 56 AGW**

The other bit of business that had to be dealt with quietly and behind the scenes was the deal with the SDC. The first shipments of refined dust wouldn't arrive until next month. In the meantime, the details had been hashed out. The types of dust being used, how much of each type, the quality and texture, all of these were taken into account. The list of items was long, but Schnee and Stark sat down together and hashed out even the minute details.

A bit of negotiations was thrown in the mix too. Things like discounts for bulk, future promises of return on investments, and technological exchanges were only three.

All in all, Tony could say he was impressed by the rate of progress he was making, but there was a small concern at the back of his mind. Jacque Schnee might be a good businessman with a penchant for high return on earnings, but that seemed as far as the man was capable of reaching. He appeared to have no love for anything else and anyone else

Not even his own wife.

_Which is a complete and utter shame._ Tony thought this to himself. _You've got to be either gay or asexual to not look at her and think that she is one hot babe._

Whatever the case might be, it wasn't any of his business what went on between those two. It was their married life. He was simply there to note the pitfalls of a man who didn't appear to want to sleep with a beautiful and willing woman. Or maybe he did and things weren't going all that well.

Tony was considering all of this while Jacque lead him further into the mansion, which made him feel a bit dirty inside. They had finally finalized everything and now was the time for more introductions, but this wasn't just any old introduction. The man they were seeing right now was looking more than a little fragile, but his face was known as was his prestige.

Jacque Schnee motioned an arm. "May I present to you the founder of the Schnee Dust Company and my father in-law, Nicholas Schnee."

"Tony Stark." The older Schnee looked him in the eye. "I've been hearing many things about you."

"I'm sure you have, Mister Schnee." Tony kept his admiration to himself, maintaining his cool. "But that's just how it is when you're extraordinary."

"On that we can agree." The Schnee patriarch laughed a heart laugh. "I can remember my glory days like they were yesterday. Travelling into the mines with my men, getting my own hands dirty, building from the ground-up. Those were tough days, but they were fulfilling nonetheless."

The sound of a ringing scroll made Jacque reach into his pocket. Once he saw who was calling him, his face morphed into irritation.

"Apologies, gentlemen." The current Schnee head apologized. "I have to take this call. This might be a while."

"Take care of business." Nicholas waved his son in-law off. "I will keep our esteemed guest entertained."

"Very well." Jacque agreed.

The CEO of the SDC quietly vacated the room, already discussing something with the person on the other end of the line. After the doors were closed, the sound of a voice could be heard for a few more seconds.

"That man is all about business." Nicholas shook his head. "I sometimes wonder about him."

"You have doubts?" Tony began to lightly probe. "Weren't you the one that named him as the new head?"

"I did back when Jacque was trying to convince me to let him handle the reigns." Nicholas agreed without hesitation. "And I still have my doubts, even now."

"Is that something you ought to be telling me?" Tony quirked an eyebrow at this bit of information. "I'm not even part of your family. I'm just a business partner to your company. If the wrong people heard about this, you could be facing inner conflicts."

"Mister Stark, don't insult my intelligence. We both know that you're not in any position to be making enemies with the SDC. That's part of the reason why you agreed to this deal, is it not?"

"With or without you guys, I would've found a way to win. In the end, I always get what I want."

"Bold words, boy, but until you can rival what we have here, they will be just words. Do not make promises you cannot fulfill."

"Oh, don't you worry your shiny little head over that, Santa Claus. You'll be hearing from me more often than not."

"What did you just call me?"

"It's nothing, just an old legendary figure in some obscure fairy tale book. I don't even remember where it came from. It just popped into my head and I said it."

Now that Tony was bringing up all this stuff about his brain and his mouth rattling off, now might be a good time to get a PR team to help smooth over the rough edges. As much as he loved to go on about anything and everything, there was only so much he could say before he suffered more dire consequences in the future. Best to nip this one in the bud before it got out of hand, although it might be too late in some ways.

Good old Nick's expression became pensive. "I see your reputation for being a motormouth isn't an exaggeration. Half the things that you speak are just… I have no words to describe it."

"I've learned to stop caring so much about what people say to me." Tony shrugged his shoulders. "It doesn't matter if it's in my face or behind my back. I've got a plan and I'll get it done one way or another. There's always someone out there looking to tear you down for the most petty reasons."

The door opened once again and the two of them expected Jacque returning from his urgent business. Instead, the two of them witnessed the arrival of one Willow Schnee. Gone was the formal ball dress that the Stark had seen when he first met her replaced with another dress that was built for a home setting. Regardless, it didn't detract one bit from her beauty. He briefly wondered if she would look good in anything.

"Willow, what brings you here?" Nick immediately greeted his daughter.

"I wished to speak with you about something father, but I see I've come at an inopportune time." Willow looked at both men. "I will come back."

"If the matter isn't all that important, then stay." Nicholas motioned to her. "We won't mind the company."

"You'll get no objections from me." Tony played it cool, not giving off any indication of how he felt. "Be our guest."

"Mister Stark, a pleasure seeing you again." Willow did a slight bow. "I see I've missed my opportunity to introduce you both."

"So you have." Nick stared at her. "Jacque beat you to the punch once again, girl."

"I can see that." Willow smiled, but it seemed a little too perfect.

Calling this woman a perfect high-born lady was exactly the way to describe her. Her looks, her mannerisms, her words, everything was perfectly manufactured and refined to do precisely as expected. The problem with all of that was it made her predictable. This life of hers had molded her into perfection and the issue with perfection was that there was no room for improvement, no room for advancement, and no room for change. What was currently being seen was likely all there was to find.

Granted, Tony knew few facts about the Schnee family to make the proper judgement. That being said, what he saw was enough to give him a small picture of a family that felt really detached from each other. Maybe without his presence, things would be much different, but putting that scenario aside, the small things he could see from what was going on right now and what he had witnessed in the past made him ask questions internally.

"I can see why you didn't make this one the head of the SDC." Tony decided some light humor was called for. "She's not really cut out for this cunning and cutthroat job."

"No, she is most certainly not." Nicholas was not one to mince his words. "Not even a little bit."

"I would appreciate it if the two of you did not insult me when I am present." Willow glared at them, but her eyes were hardly threatening. "If you must criticize me, at least do so when I am not present."

"Be careful what you ask for, Willow." Nick warned her. "There is always an unintended consequence to everything you do. Good or bad, you must always be aware of that fact."

"I think you've hurt the poor woman enough." Tony butted in. "I said she wasn't any good at business. I never said she wasn't good at other things."

"I certainly hope you're not implying what I think you are." Nicholas eyed his younger contemporary. "Because if you are-"

"Relax there, St. Nick." Tony, against his better judgement, pushed through with the even look. "There ain't no way I'm gonna ruin Cinderella."

Willow tilted her head. "I don't understand."

"Neither do I." Nicholas pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Oh, come on, people." Tony sounded off his exasperation. "These are classic references. They're no fun when I'm the only one who gets it."

* * *

**RWBY - - - Iron Man**

* * *

**Remnant, Unknown System**

**Kingdom of Vale**

**Emerald Forest**

**May 14th, 56 AGW**

There were a few known truths about Stark Industries.

With a focus on inflicting casualties on a large scale, less time had been dedicated towards weaponry meant for a single soldier. That was where Team STRQ came into the picture. As had been explained to them in the first meeting, they were to field test the prototype of weapon. The data collected would determine if further adjustments were needed or if a presentation was in order; the former would result in another six months of development while the latter would kick mass production into gear.

Nearly three weeks of waiting had ended and now was their time to perform.

The details had been provided to them in-person with Mister Stark himself being there to explain the details. They were all given a scroll document to go along with them while they were out gathering data. As this mission could take some time, they rose early in the morning and planned to stay out all day. They would be monitored, but there would be no faculty shadowing them. That just went to show how secretive all of this was.

Broken down to its most basic components, the primary objective of the mission was to field test new experimental dust combined with some smart technology. The working theory behind this new advancement was to utilize dust in unorthodox ways and according to a situation's needs. Dust could only be used by one with an aura and a certain level of mental training. This test was to make use of dust beyond the currently known combat applications. Simply put, this was all about being creative with grimm-hunting.

Summer was the most eager to get out and do some field testing. Ever since her first conversation with Mister Stark, she had done everything she could to impress him. After all, he was a genius when it came to weapons and technology and she practically lived for that kind of stuff. Even after this mission was done, she would most definitely find a way to maintain that connection with the man.

Taiyang's response was more subdued. The blonde boy wasn't one to use overwhelming force to power through an object. His methods involved going around the problem and solving them in more careful ways. More often than not, it reflected in his methods of fighting and his contributions to the team. This was right up his alley and he intended to do his best to expand his horizon of fighting skills.

Raven, while initially uninterested in this mission, became unexpectedly more invested as more details were revealed. She existed solely for the purpose of fighting and killing. To find new ways to do both of those things tickled her fancy in all the right ways. Being on the cutting edge when it came to the best armament was to be in a really happy place for her. It might be more correct to say she was the most excited out of all of her teammates.

Qrow was indifferent at face value, but there was no denying that he was dedicated. After all, no matter how much he chose to portray himself as the cool and collected guy he was, he and Raven weren't twins for nothing. The major difference between himself and his twin sister was that he wouldn't freely admit to anything. He would follow his team and do what he was told because he didn't have a choice in the matter.

Team STRQ began their experiment in the Emerald Forest where they had all taken the initiation to gain entry into the academy. From there, they would work outwards towards the fringes of the forest where more species of Grimm with higher danger levels resided.

Summer first led the charge, doing an initial test phase with using just the dust vial held in her right hand. Without the need to power up her aura, she waited for a couple of Beowolves to get closer to her. Their approach was head-on as expected of some of the lowest of these monsters. To anyone not a huntsman, this would appear to be stupid, but the white-clad girl wasn't phased in the least.

"Come on, little wolfies." Summer muttered, narrowing her eyes. "Just a little bit more my way and then…"

When they leaped into the air to pounce on her, she moved into action. With highly trained accuracy, she dispersed the dust into the face of the first Beowolf all while swiftly evading to her right. She currently was making use of fire dust, so the usual expected result was a burning Grimm. That would typically be a problem, an enemy throwing itself head-first while on fire at their enemy. The result this time was an instant incineration that burned the ashes of the Beowolf before it could scatter into the wind. The resulting intense heat and explosion was enough to shred the other abominable wolf into pieces. It was even enough to hurt her with her aura being her salvation.

"That… was… AWESOME!" Summer lit up in complete elation in spite of the pain. "How does that even work? Are the atoms splitting? No, there's not enough density in the dust. Something in the dust to trigger a more explosive reaction? But that doesn't explain the force of the explosion. How is it able to be deadly instantly and create enough-"

"Summer, head in the game." Taiyang called to her.

"Right, sorry!" Summer composed herself. "Ursai incoming!"

"I've got this." Taiyang patted her on the shoulder and stepped up.

Four medium-sized Ursai lumbered forward, their paws ready to rip and tear. It was most fortunate that the blond-haired teenager was in his element thanks to his extensive training and experience in hand-to-hand. In both fists, he held two wind dust crystals. He curled his fists and crushed them into his palms, the fragments being absorbed by his aura. With his hands charged by the wind, he motioned his arms and made a chopping motion. The result was a wind blade that dissected one Ursa, splitting it vertically.

Taiyang then engaged the second Ursa. One evasion and a fist to its midsection ended with not only the damage of the punch and the aura augmenting it but also the wind hurling the Grimm some distance, causing it to collide into a few trees before falling to the ground either dead or severely wounded. The next two Ursa tried to corner him, but the unarmed fighter motioned his hands upwards, causing the wind to lift the two monsters up in the air. This gave him the opening to leap into the air and use his aura and gravity to smash the two of them back to the ground.

"I don't remember dust being this controllable without aura." Taiyang admired his handiwork. "Impressive."

"Are you kids done?" Raven held her katana at the ready. "Let the real hunters do the killing."

The black-haired girl brandished her blade with utter confidence. Next up were a horde of Lancers, not quite at their full size, but still much bigger than an average-sized man. She fiddled with her sheathe so she could test out her newly-acquired water blade. It felt lighter than she was expecting, but that worked for her. Lighter blades meant more striking force.

With precision slashing, she only nicked each Lancer enough to cause a minor flesh wound. At first glance, it was an ineffective attack, but then each bug began to fall to the ground, the water dust infused in their wounds spreading to the entire body and freezing them from the inside out. She then proceeded to smash each of them until there was only ice fragments on the ground.

"Minimal effort." Raven admired her handiwork. "Maximum results."

"That ain't nothing, Raven." Qrow pushed his sister aside. "Watch and learn, boys and girls."

The boy with bad luck on his side switched his weapon to shotgun mode, loading only a single lightning bullet into the chamber. His red eyes focused on a few Boarbatusks barrelling down at him. They were small little things, hardly half his height, but they numbered at least a few dozen. Taking careful aim, he pulled the trigger, aiming for the lead charger. The projectile struck home, causing a torrent of lightning to fry the pig-like Grimm, but it didn't stop at the singular target. The dust's effects spread to all of the Boarbatusks in the vicinity which produced a lightning chain reaction. When calm returned, there were twelve roasted Grimm.

"I got the most kills." Qrow began to brag. "I'm a hero."

"Hey, no fair!" Summer began to pout. "I was just getting started. I'll blow your numbers out of the water!"

"Excuse you." Raven was quick to correct her team leader. "I used water. You used fire."

"Does it really matter who killed how many and with what?" Taiyang's mediator instincts kicked in.

"Yes!" Summer shouted. "We need to get more kills for data. First to a 100 is buying all our noodle bowls for dinner!"

"Oh, hell no." Qrow retrieved more bullets to load into his weapon. "I am not going to pay for all that."

"Nor will I." Raven cycled through her blades.

Taiyang felt like giving up. "Guys, really?"

"Do you want to pay for the noodles then, Tai?" Summer questioned him.

"Nope." The blonde denied.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Vale**

**Stark Industries HQ**

**May 17th, 56 AGW**

"Mister Stark. Good to see you." James Ironwood shook hands with his opposite. "I didn't expect an invitation."

"Things are going forward faster than even I had calculated." Tony took the hand and applied a firm grip. "I've got something for you to look at. This is strictly for your perusal, but if you feel that it'll be worth it, we can talk about fielding it."

"Show me." James could take a few guesses as to what was being referred to.

The businessman handed the captain a folder that felt quite heavy. The latter opened its contents and began to do a quick skim-through. This was a document containing the results of what was a new use of dust in combative scenarios. The tests were done courtesy of a team at Beacon Academy students. Countless situations and approaches were used. Singular forms of attack, complicated maneuvers, working in pairs and trios, entire team formations. Gods above, this was an extremely detailed file.

James could see that this new system was clearly a huge success, but the most important thing that he caught note of was how the dust no longer necessarily needed a person with aura to use it. That meant anyone and anything could use it. Not only could an average soldier enhance his effectiveness, but so too could the effectiveness of androids be enhanced. Going even further, what about specialist training? What could an experienced warrior of ten or twenty years do?

"I think you understand where I'm going with this." Tony saw that he had already won this battle. "All I need is your answer."

"My answer is a resounding yes, but in regards to my superiors, that will need to be determined." James wasn't shy about voicing his opinion. "However, convincing them will likely be no trouble."

"My thoughts exactly." Tony said. "Keep in mind this is in the prototype stages. While the students were very helpful in gathering data, I need wider pool in order to get a more concrete idea of the limits."

"If you're looking for more people willing to try this out, then I believe I have a solution." James replied. "Atlas Academy is full of students looking for new opportunities. They'll be more than glad to jump at this opportunity."

Tony nodded his head. "Great. Well, all of this is strictly hypothetical for now, but let me know if any issues come up. Oh, and one more question: what's your opinion on Jacque Schnee?"

"My opinion of Jacque Schnee?" James did well to keep any sort of curiosity out of his expression. "The man is the best at what he does, but sometimes I believe that he is the best at only one thing."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I have and we've known each other for a while now. I would say we are friends. For all intents and purposes, the kingdom of Atlas is largely able to function due to the Schnee Dust Company. We have Jacque to thank for that. However, I'm afraid his sight leaves him somewhat ignorant of other perspectives."

"Isn't it unwise to tell me this stuff specifically?"

"It's nothing that I'm sure you haven't guessed if not figured out."

That was certainly true.

* * *

**I'm chugging along doing my best to create a world where Tony Stark is messing with the world of Remnant so thoroughly that by the time that we reach the year that Volume 1 is supposed to begin, things will be so warped that there will be no chance of repeating any events that have occured in canon, but I think you all knew that.**

**Now for the moment you've all been waiting for: the results of the poll that will decide the children of Iron Man. When this chapter gets posted, the poll will be closed and the results will be locked into the story. Four children for our protagonist to have in his life in one way or another. With that, let's give a drum roll to our winners.**

**With 98 votes and the unquestionable lead, Ruby Rose wins this. You guys might not be surprised by this, but when I first put this poll up, she was not number one. She was number two or lower for a while, but I think once I introduced Team STRQ into the story, her popularity skyrocketed and ever since then, our little red reaper has been undefeated. I think I can see the reasons why people want her as a child of Tony Stark. Between Tony's insane genius and the smarts that I put on Summer, just how big of a head will Ruby have? Will this make her even more weapon-crazy? Who knows.**

**Next up with 79 votes and beating out third and forth place by quite a bit we've got Weiss Schnee. From the very beginning she was always a popular choice, even being number one at one point. The heiress with her father being the arrogant, cocky, and narccicistic guy that he is? I'm sure that there is absolutely nothing that our resident ice queen will inherit from her father. Oh, and did I mention that I just realized that the two of them have a hidden heart of gold? Yeah, if I play my cards right, they're going to have one of the most rad and intimate connections that this story has to offer.**

**Coming in third and securing 61 votes is the upset and unexpected entry Neo Politian. Honestly, I did not see this one coming at all. At first, she didn't even register on my radar seeing as her vote count wasn't anything to write home about, but for some reason, you guys wanted her and she made her way here. Writing for our mute and mischievous crook is going to be something. It's going to be like her relationship with Roman Torchwick, only better. Question for all of you: how old is Neo when we first get introduced? Also, am I seriously writing a completely OC mother? You guys would put me on the spot like that?**

**Finally, in forth place and with 56 votes is Winter Schnee. Both Schnee sisters are going to be Tony's. The only thing I can say to that is you readers are something else. Why would you want me to write about a woman cheating on her bastard husband to sleep with some other guy and having two daughters as a result? Well anyway, Winter can always benefit from her father's determination and courage, so there is a silver lining. Maybe the reason our elder ice queen will grow up to be such a serious and no-nonsense woman is because her father is such a tease and not-at-all serious.**

**So to sum it up, one little red riding hood, two snow angels, and one deranged goon. You guys asked for it and I'm going to deliver with all that I can muster. Some of you might notice that the poll results won't be showing up on my profile. The reason is because I wanted to deliver the news personally. The results will go up a day after this chapter is posted.**

**Also bear in mind that Tony being the father of these four is a separate issue from the relationship he will have with their mothers.**

**On another site note, some of the contestants who came and left the top four were Pyrrha Nikos, Blake Belladonna, and Cinder Fall. Pyrrha saw some actions for a bit, knocking Winter off the pedestal, but the ice queen beat her out of a spot. I'm not sure if I should be happy or glade that our favorite spartan girl didn't win a spot.**

**Blake was number three for a long time and then Neo came in to swipe that spot away. I wasn't a fan of breaking up what appeared to be a happy relationship between Ghira and Kali. We didn't see them much in RWBY, but it was clear that they loved each other very much. Tearing them apart would have been uncomfortable with me.**

**Cinder briefly made it to number four, but once again, there was Pyrrha and Winter. Plus, there is the added problem of the few things that Tony and Cinder have in common. They couldn't be farther apart from each other personality-wise. Tony might be a really unbearable person at times, but he's not a bad guy. Cinder is just evil because of power and other reasons.**

**Thank you all for your continued support of this story. As a final note, I'm currently looking into getting a new art cover for this story because I think it needs one. I was thinking about making one myself, but my art skills are rusty. I might consider getting a commission. If anyone has an idea about that, please let me know. I'm afraid my knowlege of the artist community for RWBY is limited.**

**As always, please leave feedback and suggestions. I hope you all enjoyed reading.**

_**"The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any**_** time."**

**Mark Twain**


	7. TRADER JACK AND FEARFUL LEO

**CHAPTER 7: TRADER JACK AND FEARFUL LEO**

**Remnant, System Unknown**

** Kingdom of Mistral**

** Open Market**

** May 30th, 56 AGW**

Tony decided that a brief visit to Mistral was in order. He was here mostly to see if he could scout out any potential business partners. While initially he had zero interest in this place due to his priority of securing Atlesian alliances and trade partners, he had begun to reconsider his stance when he took a closer look into the kingdom famous for many things.

Mistral was home to the largest of the four kingdoms, meaning that it had the most land under its control. As a result, there was a massive emphasis on culture and due to the varying natural environments, what was normal up north was considered unusual down south. In short, there was little lacking in the way of things to do. It was just a matter of finding the right people, at least that's what his information led him to believe.

It was Ozpin who ultimately convinced the young man to go. While he could find new ventures for Stark Industries, he could also visit Haven Academy and scope it out. Whether he chose to introduce himself to the headmaster was up to him, not that he had a good reason to do so. The way he saw it, being friends with the Wizard of Oz was more than enough for him. The last thing he needed was to be incurring any more debt. He would prefer to remain debt-free where that man was concerned. He was mysterious, which meant he had secrets and probably nothing of the good variety given his occupation.

Ultimately, Tony knew that whatever happened here, it would be no huge loss if he didn't accomplish something major here. After all, Mistral was the place to go if you wanted to sit back and relax and god knew he needed a vacation, and yes, he would always say god. He just couldn't get over people here saying gods. If he had to explain it, he wouldn't. He didn't want to and he never would want to.

So the young CEO decided to casually cruise around town and see what delicious food he could find. He was taking advantage of the fact that his celebrity status so far didn't prevent him from being in public without being recognized. Soon, he wouldn't be afforded that luxury; he intended to make the most of it while he still had the chance. Thus, he found himself within a relatively busy market place wandering.

His nose had led him to the scent. Immediately, he caught onto the wonderful smells surrounding him. It was a collage of so many different things that every second, he was detecting something that had his mouth watering just a little bit more. First, he smelled something like meat cooking, perhaps a steak. Then he smelled something akin to fish, a light smell but no doubt fishy. Next came the definite smell of bakery items, bread loaves and likely pastry items. Another scent that came to his nose was something hot and spicy, enough so that his nasals were feeling a little tingly and he almost sneezed.

Tony felt a bit of nostalgia hitting him in this moment, and that was unusual considering he wasn't usually nostalgic, or at least he wouldn't call himself that. All of this felt strangely familiar to him. Despite his mixed opinions of Mistral, it did remind him of his home in New York City. As a matter of fact, NYC contained so many different types of people with different cultures, values, and beliefs. Mistral seemed to reflect that same vibe in the respect. The difference was that instead of cultures compacted into a city, it was spread out across an entire kingdom.

The young Stark weaved his way through the crowd, taking it all in. While he would like nothing more than to take in everything there was to offer, he did wonder about something. The similarities between Earth and Remnant were scary. If even the most basic of things like food were similar, then what did that mean about critical and fundamental aspects of this section of the universe? Was there some connection between the two worlds? If there was, why had he never heard any hint of it?

Tony halted the gears in his mind. He had shut out any memories of Earth in favor of creating his own legacy. It was easy for him to forget where he had come from because building Stark Industries from ground zero was a mountain of work. Now, as he wandered aimlessly through a crowd being merely one person in a crowd, he suddenly found his mind wandering into places he would rather pretend didn't exist.

The genius spun his head around, searching for anything that might be able to serve as a distraction. He spotted what looked like a burger joint and he then thought about cheese burgers. Without another moment of thought, he honed in on the booth.

"Hello there, sir?" The man operating the stand smiled and nodded. "What can I get you?"

"Just a cheeseburger." Tony glanced at the menu for a second. "Add everything you can. I don't really care."

"One cheeseburger with everything on it, coming right up!" A woosh and a blur of motion was the result. "And here you go!"

"...how did you do that?" Tony looked at the plate containing burger and fries with mild shock.

"I'm just really good with my hands." The response with stated as if it were fact and not meant as a means of bragging. "If I want to do something, I can. It's really that simple."

"Really?" Tony looked the man in the eye. "Care to put that to the test?"

"Sure! I welcome a challenge." The man seemed eager. "But first, will you be paying with lien, credit, or debit?"

"Actually, I don't have any cash on me." Tony, thinking quickly, removed his watch from his wrist and offered it.

"That's too much, sir."

"Just take it. I can always get another one." Tony brushed off this hesitancy. "Oh, what's your name by the way?"

"Jack." The answer came. "Like a Jack-of-all-trades."

"Alright! I'll hit you up with a challenge when I know what I need." Tony then looked at his food. "Uh, I don't like being handed things. You can just set it down in front of me and I'll get it."

The exchange was slightly awkward, but Jack did as he was asked, choosing to set the paper plate containing the order in front of his customers, to which the former graciously accepted.

"Aren't you Tony Stark?" Jack then asked out of the blue.

"Sometimes." Tony casually stated while making his way back into the crowd, ready to devour his lunch.

"How will you get in contact with me?!" Jack shouted.

"You don't!" Tony called back. "I'll get in contact with you!"

Well, that was a fairly interesting encounter right there. Clearly, this Jack guy was a lot more than just a street vendor. It wasn't crystal-clear what exactly he was, but clearly his rather unassuming appearance belied the inhuman display. Of course, given aura and semblances, maybe such things weren't as impossible, but then again not everyone had an unlocked aura and a semblance by extension.

Clearly, there was a great deal of talent that he had yet to scope out. While he had found some promising people to bring in to work for him, there was merit in having a network of freelancers who did odd jobs for him without the red tape and rules that officially working for Stark Industries came with. Granted, this technicality could involve some very lengthy court cases and legal headaches should the wrong people find out, but when you were rich and had power, it was much easier to find loopholes.

Tony pulled up his scroll and began a search for the identity of his newest acquaintance. He wanted to know everything about this guy despite having only just meeting him not even five minutes ago and spending even less time speaking with him, but he didn't need all that much time.

_There's something in those eyes that makes me want to believe._ Explaining it rationally would take time, so instinct was guiding the CEO to this decision. _I'll kick some incentive his way. If he's as good as he says, it's a win. If not, then I move on._

Part of being a businessman was knowing that success was elusive and couldn't be won easily. To win at this game, a person needed to have undying tenacity. They had to be willing to press forward even in the face of failure, They had to be able to keep going even when everyone denounces them as crazy and delusional. In short, winning meant losing a lot of battles in order to win the war. It was why people with this frame of mind were met with incredible success when everyone else fell short, achieving only mediocrity in the process.

_And I am the best at what I do if I say so myself._ Tony didn't need to tell himself this because merely existing meant he was awesome.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Mistral**

**Haven Academy**

**May 31st, 56 AGW**

Leonardo Lionheart felt a bit nervous at the thought of his current task. Yes, he had been informed prior and he had been given enough time to prepare accordingly, but that did not make him any less nervous. As a huntsman, it was always important to keep a heavy reign on emotions so as to prevent the Grimm from sensing any sort of weakness, but there were some things that could be more nerve-wracking then even the twisted monsters.

By the request of Ozpin, he had been instructed to guide a special guest through the halls of Haven Academy. The reason for this was because it was to familiarize the newest edition to one of the most secretive societies in all of Remnant. To be more precise, his candidacy was up for discussion and so far, it was looking to be promising.

Ozpin himself was nothing short of impressed if not a bit dismayed by Mister Stark's very unorthodox and atypical approaches to one-on-one conversations. Still, the Beacon Academy's headmaster described the weapons developer as smart, charismatic, and confident. Leo couldn't be too sure of the first one, but the second and third he could see that much based on what he saw in the news.

James Ironwood had a similarly positive opinion of the CEO of Stark Industries. According to the captain, the Stark Industries founder was not just smart. He was a genius, a true bona fide genius. Not only were his weapons in the process of being manufactured and shipped to Atlas, but he had conceived of numerous other devices that would be of use tactically and strategically. Additionally, all were made with the intent of long-term usage. To make a long story short, the word smart was grossly simplifying the intellect of Tony Stark.

Leo had to wonder something: if this man was as smart as Ozpin and James said he was, then was it a stretch to imagine that maybe the attempt to be secretive might already be for naught? Considering everything he knew, the faunus man considered the possibility that maybe the man in question had already figured out that something was going on. Assuming that was the case, then would it be wise to maintain ignorance?

_Slow down._ Leonardo calmed his mind. _You have yet to meet the man and you're already panicking. Remember your training. Assume nothing and watch for everything._

Perhaps the reason that this had him so tense was due to how critical this part went. Few people knew that the Maidens existed in their world and not just in fairy tales. Fewer people still knew that the Grimm had a master that was mysterious and powerful. Only a handful knew about the Relics hidden underneath each of the huntsmen academies. All of this was highly classified information, known only to those that Ozpin deemed worthy of knowing. The fact that Leo knew meant he had an immense responsibility to uphold.

That responsibility was about to be put to the test soon and depending on his observations and opinion, there might be a new member to add to the group, a new member that had both pros and cons to bring to the table.

Leo stood at the front gate of Haven Academy, waiting as patiently as he was able for the arrival of his venerable visitor. He straightened out the small wrinkles in his outfit and stood at attention. A good appearance would do more than just make him look nice. It would send the message that he was indeed serious about this meeting and Mister Stark was reported to be a businessman through and through.

Right as the clock struck at the beginning of the hour, a car pulled up, a black and sleek vehicle. The door quickly opened and an immaculately-dressed man with neatly-kept hair got out. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark shades. Already, the expectations were beginning to grow.

"Mister Stark." Leo stepped forward to introduce himself, stuffing his reservations down. "A pleasure."

"Leonard Lionheart." Tony stepped forward looking him up and down. "Ozpin tells me a lot about you."

"I'm sure he does." Leo offered a hand. "Ozpin said you needed a guide to get you around Haven."

"From a business standpoint, Haven Academy doesn't have much to offer me as things stand." Tony shook the hand, yet was frank. "I've got Beacon so I'm covered on that front. I'm just curious to see what's different between the academies."

"Well for starters, our curriculums are fundamentally the same, but the methods employed are vastly different." Leo began his explanation. "In the most simple terms, Haven has an emphasis on training in harsh environments and situations. It's our desire to see our students be able to fight and persevere no matter where they are."

"That's certainly a lot different than what I've seen at Beacon." Tony crossed his arms. "Based on what I've seen, students there direct most of their energy into combat."

"And that is one of the reasons why Beacon is sought after for aspiring huntsmen and huntresses." Leo nodded his head. "But that's not to say that we neglect our combat training. We simply believe that being prepared for a wide variety of situations will help more in the long run. Thus, while our students may not be masters of any style, all of their bases are covered."

"Well, now that you put it that way, there might be something I can do here after all." Tony's mouth lightly pressed his lips together, looking to be in thought. "If your forte is turning your students into all-rounders, then I might be able to put something together that could further benefit the school in that regard."

"And that would be what exactly?" Leonardo placed his arms behind his back.

"While it is important to have specialized equipment for certain missions, I believe it's equally as important that there be weapons and gear fielded that fulfill a more versatile role in combat." Mister Stark held his scroll in his hand and activated it. "I've got some drafts that I've been working on that deal with pieces which aren't really useful to a soldier in an army, but are to a huntsman."

Not even ten minutes into the conversation and they had gotten this far into the conversation without having entered the academy grounds. It was extraordinary how swiftly this man moved. Furthermore, this was only a surface-level chat, something to warm them up. That would only indicate that more private words would contain far more interesting things. Of course, there would likely be some of the more juvenile behavior mixed into the mix, but that could be overlooked given the benefits.

Returning to the matter at hand Leo carefully trained his eyes on the contents of the scroll. At first glance, they appeared to by typical infantry rifles. Usually, huntsmen and huntresses didn't use such weapons because they were simplistic and couldn't serve numerous functions. However, this model looked nothing like the ones fielded to soldiers in the kingdoms. They looked so primitive in nature.

"I've never seen weapons like this before." The faunus man took another look. "Could you describe what exactly I'm looking at."

"This is a little something I've whipped up with the intent of changing how ground troops engage each other. What you're seeing here is a proposed standard-issue rifle. Mind you, today's troops are working with tech that's last century frankly-speaking. The common soldier barely has the means to take down a simple Beowolf. How can any army hope to have a chance if the individual isn't properly armed and trained?"

"You do have a point." Leo furrowed his brow. "But what does this have to do with our students' effectiveness if you don't mind my asking."

"Okay, so take a look at this footage and bear in mind that this is a theoretical standard-issue rifle for future soldiers." Tony began to play back something pre-recorded. "And there it is."

The 3D image shifted, turning into one man holding the rifle in question while firing at what appeared to be Beowolf. Behind him appeared to be other armed men, but they only had their weapons raised, but they were not firing. Only the man with the prototype rifle was firing and the effectiveness of the firearm was impressive. Just a few rounds to the head was enough to fell the monster. The rifle looked to have a decent capacity as the man fired in bursts, only reloading after some twenty seconds. A magazine clip was ejected and a new one was placed and firing resumed.

"I see that your reputation for deadliness is justified." Leonardo was convinced. "But where are you going with all this?"

"Well, I like to think of huntsmen and huntresses as a type of elite force of soldiers who are in need of specialized equipment and gear." Tony shut off his scroll and removed his shades. "So I'm willing to commission rifles and firearms specifically made for Haven Academy students."

Leo blinked. "Is this not something that could be provided to Beacon students as well?"

Tony shook his head. "I've already got a team at the big B testing out something else. Like I said, this is strictly for Haven."

Leo knew this decision wasn't in his hands, but if it were, he knew what he would do.

* * *

**RWBY - - - Iron Man**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Mistral**

**City of Mistral**

**June 1st, 56 AGW**

The sunset was beautiful, just like it was on Earth. The sky was painted a vivid orange color, giving off a warm vibe. There appeared to be very little difference between this sunrise and Earth's sunrise, just another little thing to add to the ever-growing list of things that the two worlds shared in common. The uncanny valley continued to grow with each and every detail that lined up too perfectly.

This shouldn't have been a subject of bother in the first place. The known universe had more stars and planets than the entire Earth had grains of sand. The development of Earth and all life on it was all due to chance, but there was no rule saying that a two planets couldn't be alike. Out of the billions of galaxies out there, was it really wrong to say that it was impossible that Humans couldn't develop in another way?

Tony stared from his balcony as his mind drifted off into no man's land. Clearly, he had far too much time on his hand if he was thinking about the nature of Remnant's existence. Although he had wondered about this topic many times, his energy and resources were largely focused on building up Stark Industries. Unlike pondering the meaning of existence, building a business actually was a productive use of time.

So to escape the dangerous territory that was his thoughts, the young man turned on his scroll, went down the list of contacts on his number, then randomly selected Ozpin's number. The ring lasted two times before an answer came.

_"Mister Stark."_ Ozpin's voice came through crisply. _"What can I do for you?"_

"Just wanted to check in." Tony made something up to talk about. "Had a chat with your inside man, Lion Leo. Chill guy, but he seems too timid for his own good."

_"While I can't disagree with that, I believe that he wants to overcome that fear as best as he can."_ Ozpin sounded unconcerned. _"He is rough, but I think he will do good."_

"I've got my doubts." Tony couldn't help but be somewhat pessimistic. "He's not quite the Cowardly Lion that I know, but there are some hints."

_"I have no idea what you are referencing."_ Ozpin's voice carried his curiosity. _"I presume this title to be something relevant to popular culture."_

"Only one of the greatest films of all time." Tony saw some of the scenes flash in his mind, then remembered what he was supposed to be talking about. "So, what's his story? What's he got that interests you?"

_"Let's just say he's one of my many ways to bring the Faunus into the fold, but considering the stunt you pulled,"_ Ozpin deadpanned, _"I don't think you need me to say more."_

"Yeah, being all spy-like is not really my style." Tony tended to be really wary of secretive types. "Not that I have a choice anyway with what's already public, but getting back to the point, Leo seems like the type of guy to crack if the bad guys caught him."

_"Then we just need to make sure that nobody can get to him."_ Ozpin sounded unconcerned. _"But more importantly, Leonardo has one other ability that makes him uniquely suited to working with me: he can keep a secret."_

"Now that sounds like something he can do." Tony could agree to that point. "But my point still stands. He doesn't strike me as the type to hold out under pressure."

Ozpin hummed before replying. _"With time and the right training, he will be."_

Just from this conversation, the inventor confirmed one of his long-standing suspicious regarding Ozpin: the man was clearly gearing up for something major. The people he had met under the headmaster's advisement must be screening for some sort of viability. Perhaps he was to be recruited into a secretive organization, which wasn't that much of a stretch given the nature of his occupation.

Tony had more than a few questions not to mention some details he really wanted to know about, but at this time and juncture, it wasn't appropriate to obtain what he wanted. The conversation wasn't going in the right direction. No bone had been thrown so to speak and any attempt to break the ice might result in a setback. Whatever the reason for this dodging of the real topic, it had to be left as it was.

However, to simply leave the matter until the full truth was disclosed could be worse. There might not be a good opening to exploit now, but the young Stark made a point to do his own digging. A man with secrets was a man that was to be watched and Ozpin was keeping many secrets. The problem was that he wasn't doing a good job of keeping his secrets a secret. Either that, or he intentionally made that slip of the tongue to test the waters.

Until a direct question of admission into this little secret boy band was made, there was nothing else to be said or done.

"Right." Tony decided to switch the conversation topic. "So our favorite team of kids doing?"

_"Team STRQ is doing well as expected."_ Ozpin reported with slight amusement. _"Summer continues to follow your exploits closely. Taiyang is still deciding what he thinks about you. As for the Branwen twins, well…"_

"Those kids stole my name." Tony shot back in a joking manner. "They ought to be thanking me for making their name famous. Who knows, they might just become as awesome as me someday."

_"Please don't give them any bright ideas." _Ozpin was quick to rebuke that statement. _"They already have enough on their plate to deal with."_

"You mean the plate that you've given them?" Tony fired back casually. "Don't sound so surprised. I've just been hacking into Beacon's servers and collecting data on all your little hatchlings. I've gotta say, Team STRQ seems to be getting all your attention these days. I mean, just look at these records. Special commendations, additional training meant for older students. Hell, they should be getting arrested for some of this stuff, even by huntsman standards, but they haven't."

_"I should be surprised, even shocked, but considering who I'm speaking to, I can't find it in me to react accordingly."_ Ozpin sighed with the sound of a coffee mug meeting a table surface. _"Is there any reason you're snooping on those four in particular?"_

"Call it curiosity." Tony pressed his advantage. "So what's your angle with these kids? Why spend so much time, energy, and resources on them specifically?"

_"I thought that you wanted to isolate yourself from the huntsman academies, Mister Stark."_ Ozpin attempted to reorient the flow of the conversation. _"What has you so intrigued now?"_

"Okay first off, I am keeping far away from your domain." Tony wouldn't be fooled. "Second, those kids are using my tech, so I think knowing a little bit about my clients is all well and good, yeah?"

_"You seem to be doing a good enough job as you are right now."_ Ozpin didn't sound the least bit uncomfortable. _"I'm willing to bet that you can piece together everything once you've gotten enough information."_

"Very nice, Oz." Tony huffed in mild frustration. "You're going to make me play a game of hide and seek. It's cute, really."

_"I've been playing this game a lot longer than anyone else."_ Ozpin stated clearly. _"I wouldn't be very good at my job if I didn't pick up a few things, but to answer your question, they're a key part in the war to come."_

"Wow, that was way too easy. It kind of takes the fun out of the challenge of discovery." Tony was disappointed that part of his fun was gone, but there was one thing that caught his ear. "But a war. You seem convinced it's coming."

_"Make no mistake about it."_ Ozpin's voice shifted to a more grave inflection. _"It is coming. It could be this year, next year, or many years down the line, but the signs are already there. It's just that the world's forgotten what a true war looks like."_

"And preparing child soldiers is the perfect way to fight back." Tony almost felt bad for those teenagers. "That's just dark, man. You really do have some screws loose."

_"No more than you do apparently."_ Ozpin took the comment with no offense. _"In that regard, we're not that much different."_

"Glad we're on the same page." Tony chuckled a bit at how this whole exchange turned morbid. "I never roll with people that don't have at least something crazy going on in their noggins."

What many people considered to be dirty and immoral, the young businessman thought of as inevitable. War was more than just a bloody mess that changed lives and nations; it was an industry and the companies willing to invest in that industry would always have a leg up on those that couldn't.

Was war necessary? Probably not all the time.

Was it inevitable? Most definitely.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Continent of Menagerie**

**Belladonna Residence**

**June 1st, 56 AGW**

Ghira had managed to get the go-ahead from the high leader of the White Fang to send some prospective employees into Stark Industries. While that was going on, Mister Stark was working on the PR angle, trying to craft a narrative that would help more than hurt. It was a delicate stage and any sort of problems now might just snowball into an avalanche if not tended to properly.

Fortunately, the CEO of Stark Industries made his personal number available to Ghira for the purpose of maintaining streamlined communications. This was important for both parties involved in order to navigate the dangerous roads ahead. While things appeared to be going well on all fronts, people were expecting something bad to happen. After all, being part of the White Fang was a largely thankless duty which demanded incredible sacrifice of which many had paid the price and many still were paying. Even the most motivated individuals could not remain so upbeat if there was no sign of meaningful progress.

Naturally, that expectation of disaster led many to be wary of Tony Stark. By all accounts, the man had no business supporting the faunus. He was human and as far as anyone knew, he had no friends or relatives that were faunus either. Without a clear reason as to why he was helping the White Fang, there would always be doubt.

Thankfully, these opinions were contained within the organization. Only the most trusted were told about the proposal. The last thing that was needed now was a leak. As far as the rest of the members knew, there was no reason to fear any sort of mistreatment from Stark Industries. Further details would be disclosed once something concrete was established. In the meantime, there were plenty of events to plan and business to attend to.

Personally, Ghira felt that things were looking up. He chalked it up to a gut instinct; with all the heaviness that surrounded himself and his fellow revolutionaries, it felt about the right time for their luck to turn around for the better. However idealistic and naive this viewpoint was, he wanted to believe it. Good and evil existed in the world and one couldn't exist without the other, so it just felt right to think this way.

For now, his work entailed reading through a rather lengthy list of conditions that Stark Industries was placing upon the White Fang. It wasn't a strictly one-sided contract as the faunus organization too had its own set of conditions. Undoubtedly, there would be revisions and changes. Compromise was a necessary component in any negotiations and they were dealing with a businessman after all.

Ghira noted that for the most part, Mister Stark had made reasonable requests. Nothing in particular stood out as unfair, exploitative, or otherwise disagreeable. It was a breath of fresh air to see something so candid and honest for once. After dealing with so many crooked deals and shady people, this was the best that he had ever seen thus far, which wasn't saying much, but it was a start and that was all he could ask for at this time.

"But if there is one thing I do need to watch out for," Ghira noted, "It's that our partner has a tendency to be… eccentric."

* * *

**I would like to point out that in this stage of the story, Tony needs to establish himself as a businessman. Stark Industries isn't going to form overnight and it's important for me to establish exactly when, where and why these events happened that will shape the future. Without an event or at least a reference, nothing will make sense in the future.**

**And speaking of the future, the trailer for V7 of RWBY came out a few days ago. My impression of this upcoming volume at this time is lackluster to say the least. I have a lot more I ought to say on the subject, but this is not the right time or the right place.**

**On a sidenote, I've come to realize something about my writing that I never caught onto until someone pointed it out in a review. Many of my stories are very similar in concept, but how I go about each story is different. In short, many of my stories revolve around the genre of anime that we like to call "Isekai." Essentially, many of my crossovers involve taking one character from one fandom and transferring him/her to another fandom and seeing what the results are. The things I learn about myself.**

**Feedback is greatly appreciated, as always. Next chapter will be about developing currently-existing relationships because I've got more than enough to work with at this time.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter.**

_**"Leadership is not about you; it's about investing in the growth of**_** others."**

**Ken Blanchard**


	8. MELTING FROZEN HEARTS

**CHAPTER 8: MELTING FROZEN HEARTS**

**Remnant, System Unknown**

** Kingdom of Vale**

** Stark Residence**

** June 2nd, 56 AGW**

The next month passed by without anything in the way of world-changing developments. Stark Industries worked closely with the Council of Vale in order to hash out the finer details of the contract that was agreed upon. It would take some time for all the missile shipments to deliver. Due to the small amount of cash, capital, and other various assets available at the moment as well as limited production capabilities, all of the work would inevitably be drawn out. Everything promised would be delivered, but it would take time.

And there was more going on that supplying Vale with weapons.

For the past two weeks, Atlas had reached out with a very lucrative offer. They were willing to pay top lien in order to secure priority handling of new weapons down the line. It made sense for them to make this move. Atlas was the most technologically advanced kingdom in all of Remnant. They always wanted to be ahead of the game in terms of arms. It was hardly surprising that they reached out like this. The question was how much could be squeezed out of them.

Tony had already drawn up the various scenarios and outcomes that he could anticipate in regards to the way the deal would go down. In the early stages of talks, the one who was most prepared would be the victor. The young man was under no illusion that he was going in with the decks stacked against him. Stark Industries for all of its success was still a small-time company in the grand scheme of things. Its main advantage was that it possessed quality over quantity, the ability to bring inventive and innovative ideas into the field. As long as the world was willing to accept that notion, then things would go more smoothly.

Thankfully, there wasn't much trouble on the creative side of things. A multitude of people had been brought in to conceptualize ideas going forward. These ranged from military veterans to scientists new and old as well as people from the public sector. As he had emphasized before, the genius had made it clear that he cared only about the ability to get results. Also, he subtly made clear that everyone who worked for him to be professional and never to take personal feelings into account. They were all here to do a job. Thankfully, he had found zero difficulties in terms of personal differences in his newly-assembled team.

In other news, Tony found his relationship with the SDC going swimmingly. At this point, it would be accurate to say that he and Jack Frost spoke with each other on a consistent basis. Both sides had already begun to fulfill their ends of the deal; Stark Industries supplied blueprints that fulfilled the purpose of making dust refinery that much more efficient as well as introducing some novel methods of making dust more powerful and efficient. The SDC in turn began to ship out its absolute best stocks of dust.

The key to all of this was not giving away too much. The technologies given in exchange for dust were indeed helpful to the SDC, but they were in no way close in scale to the in-house hardware and software that Stark Industries would employ years down the line. If anything, it felt like Jacque was the one getting cheated and the man either didn't notice, didn't care, or had a plan of his own.

Tony shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't like he was losing sleep over what other people were losing. As the old saying went, it wasn't anything personal. It was just business. He was merely aiming to be the number one business in the world.

Today, he had a relatively easy day. Although he was going to be visiting the Schnee mansion, it wasn't for anything business-related strictly speaking. Yes, he and Jacque would no doubt talk about some stuff, but talking to good old Saint Nick was also part of the plan and if he was lucky, he might get to tease Willow.

Getting to know the Schnee family was quite the thing. Not only had it afforded him a window into something rarely seen by the public, but it also gave him a new way of looking at them all and how best to interact with them.

Jacque Schnee had married into the family and he had taken the SDC to new heights. There was no questioning that he was getting results, but the problem was that his methods were questionable, some more so than others. While there seemed to be not a lot to dig up, Tony had found his ways of obtaining information and what he discovered made him just a little bit nervous. Of course, the Stark executive would never voice these concerns directly to his partner, at least not for the time being, but he wouldn't be silent on the issue forever.

Nicholas Schnee was more or less a man that constantly needed to be up and about, doing anything he could to improve himself. The man built the SDC from the ground up and his name meant so much to so many people. It was a shame that he seemed rather oblivious to the people around him. It was almost like he didn't care that his company had been handed to a man that cared about numbers more than people. Even weirder was that Nicholas had willingly made Jacque the head of the SDC.

And there was young and beautiful Willow Schnee. The woman was far too much of a lady to be anything else. Nicholas raised her to be the most lady lady ever. It was like she couldn't conceivably think of a way out of the role that had been placed on her shoulders. Furthermore, she didn't even seem to have any will to do anything more than what she was told to do. Or maybe she was more than she appeared and she was simply playing the part given to her in order to achieve something else.

If there was one thing that the Schnee family lacked, it was a sense of unity. It felt like everyone was on a completely different page. Jacque was a workaholic with little else to do on his plate. Nick appeared to have checked out from his company and his family. Willow was a fool trying to be a socialite. There was little to no happiness to be found anywhere, not that Tony knew much about that either. After all, Howard Stark was cold and calculating, never once saying that he loved or even liked his own son. Frankly, it was amazing that his mother could even put up with the man let alone love him, but she did somehow.

Anyway, while the Schnee family was the most important player in Atlas, they were far from the only ones. There were dozens of critical pieces on the board that he should know at least on a basic level. He would get acquainted with most of them if not all of them one day. Perhaps he would make friends or allies out of a few of them yet. It was hard to have a relationship with high-class people that resembled anything close to a genuine relationship. After all, the rich had a tendency to look down on everyone who wasn't at least in their league. It wouldn't be surprising if everyone was cursing the Stark name in private.

Tony grabbed a nearby cup of coffee and took a swig, not really bothering to take in the taste, not that the taste was anything original to begin with. He usually took his coffee black because when he couldn't be bothered to remember the taste, there wasn't a point in adding extra flavor and incurring extra costs. He was well aware of how cheap he sounded, but at least he was being cheap in relation to his personal finances, not with his actual company.

Getting up from his desk and stretching himself out, he realized that he ought to get ready before he missed the flight to Atlas. If he had his own private aircraft, then something like this wouldn't be a problem, or at least it wouldn't be as much as a problem. One day, he would be able to afford his own private flight. That would be a sign of sweet success indeed. Perhaps then he would be able to rival the SDC.

Tony was under no illusion that one day he would come into conflict with the Schnee name. Ultimately, his relationship with the Schnee family was based purely on a temporary reliance of dust. According to his own calculations, Stark Industries would soon be able to sustain itself without any usage of dust to power its facilities.

The Arc Reactor that he had been working on prior to his arrival on Remnant was currently being housed in a secluded section of the development building of the company where only a handful of people could access it.

There were lots of big plans.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Atlas**

**Schnee Mansion**

**June 4th, 56 AGW**

Willow Schnee wasn't a woman that cared to make herself stand out. For one thing, she lacked the social skills and proper subject matter to talk about. Merely being in a crowd was barely all that she could manage. It wasn't that she was incapable of being a conversationalist or a socialite when the situation called for it, but she couldn't say that she was particularly fond of the idea of the idea for days on end.

Her husband, on the other hand, was supremely in his element as the new head of the Schnee Dust Company. He was a businessman prior to his marriage into the family and he was very much a practiced socialite. He fit into the role given to him perfectly. From an objective point of view, Jacque Schnee was exactly what the SDC needed to continue on.

For all intents and purposes, the company was the face of all dust-related things. Any businesses, big or small, who were involved in the process of dust in any capacity didn't last long. Many of them were either absorbed or simply dissolved. It was becoming clear that the name Schnee would own a monopoly on dust if things went according to the plan.

Willow knew all of this on a basic level, but frankly speaking, she didn't care to involve herself in her husband's affairs. It might be accurate to say that she didn't have much of a relationship with her spouse to begin with. With everything he was doing, he found very little time to spend with her.

At first, it seemed only natural given the position of CEO of the Schnee Dust Company. After all, the company couldn't run itself if it didn't have a competent leader making sure all the individual pieces formed a whole unit. That had been her rationale from the beginning, but it soon became clear that even with such a full schedule day to day, there should have been at least time for a quick visit, maybe a phone call, something to tell her about what was going on. Having to hear all of the latest news from the servants and her father felt improper.

Willow had far too much time on her hands and usually, she would find herself wandering the garden with only her thoughts to occupy her. To some, that would be a dangerous prospect, but if there was nothing profound to ponder on, then what danger was there to begin with?

She found herself walking to the center of this artificial place, somewhere where she could sit and do whatever she pleased. Maybe today she would sing a song or two to pass the time. After that, she might ponder a bit more about her life and what to expect in the future and hope that things turned out better.

The white-haired woman felt her steps carrying her to her usual spot of peace and quiet, but today, she was surprised to find that she wasn't alone on this day. Of all the people that could be here, the person she couldn't ever expect to find Tony Stark, who appeared to be staring at his scroll and concentrating hard on something.

Watching him from where she stood still, Willow took another look at his face. Unlike the past couple of interactions that he had with her, this was a far cry from those encounters. The previous two times he carried a cool look with a bit of arrogance. It was a look that strangely suited him and it carried with it two feelings. On one hand, she felt a bit annoyed at it; it felt like he was making his arrogance known, but not in a way that could compel a person to take drastic action. Then there was the other side, the part where that arrogance, despite it being annoying, was earned in a way. Most companies in their budding stages didn't get to deal with the SDC like this, so bragging seemed only appropriate.

If she had to describe Mister Stark's expression right now, it was a look of absolute and earnest interest. There was nothing artificial behind it. It was a face that told everyone that he was working on something that he was passionate about. It was the sort of look that could not be faked. When someone became truly invested in something, their face would often show the true emotions a person was feeling. This looked to be that time.

Willow wasn't sure what to do. On one hand, she could try to enter into a dialogue, but that felt unnatural given the situation and her presence. Maybe she ought to sit this one out and look for another time to talk.

So she turned to leave.

"Miss Schnee." Tony called out to her. "Why leaving so soon? Is my company really that bad?"  
"No, Mister Stark." Willow took only a breath before regaining her senses and replying back. "I just felt that you were too absorbed to talk."

"Well, I wouldn't be doing this if I had company." Tony switched off his scroll, then looked up at her. "Your father stepped out to get something for me, but I'm guessing something else came up. He doesn't strike me as the type to get distracted easily."

"Not at all." Willow affirmed this assumption. "My father is very focused on what he does and is not one to waste a person's time, especially not a person he respects."

"Well, I can afford to wait a bit, but you might as well stay." Tony's face became calm and collected. "It looks like you've got nothing better to do. Why don't we stay and chat for a while?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I wouldn't want to interrupt you." Willow tried again to turn him down. "Besides, I believe I can find something productive to do."

"Is ten minutes really that much to ask for?" Tony wasn't the least bit dettered by her rejection. "Or how about just five minutes? Then I'll leave you alone."

Willow gave him a look. "My father could be coming back in less than that time."

Tony didn't look away. "Then we can talk until either he does come back or until five minutes are up."

She continued to meet his eyes, searching his eyes for any signs of an ulterior motive. Usually, whenever someone wanted to speak with her, it was in regards to how they could get closer to the Schnee family. Everyone wanted to be close to either her or Jacque, but when it came down to it, most would prefer the latter. Regardless, she had enough experience to know when someone was looking for something from her.

But was Tony Stark looking for something from her. Willow couldn't say for sure what exactly he wanted. If anything, his face, his posture, his slight smirk all threw her off. It almost felt like he was saying that he already had what he wanted and that her time wasn't really all that valuable to him.

That made her irritated internally, but she kept herself composed.

"Five minutes." Willow took a few steps forward. "Was there something specific you wanted to talk about?"

"Well, since you asked, let's talk about you." Tony retained his small smirk. "I get all the business stuff from Jacque and your father, so a change of pace would really do wonders."

"Alright, then. What about me do you want to know?" Willow placed her hands in front of her.

"What does Snow White love doing in her spare time?" Tony jerked his head slightly towards her.

"I'm sorry?" Willow felt confusion.

"Dammit, I did it again." Tony looked to his side, then spoke. "Sorry, old movie reference, should've known that would go over your head."

"A movie reference?" Willow was now even more perplexed.

"Forget about it, Snow White." Tony's head refocused on her. "I'm just going to call you that from now on. Think of it like a nickname, and I only do that to people who are either my friend or who are interesting."

"Oh." Willow wasn't sure what she was feeling, but she was feeling something. "Thank you."

Out of all the men she had ever met in high-class society, Mister Stark was the most unusual she had ever met. He walked, talked, and acted by his own set of rules, but those rules didn't necessarily clash with the established rules of the wealthy and influential. He understood those just fine. However, his quirks set him apart from everyone else by a longshot. He learned to work with the rules while also following a set of rules that applied only to himself.

In short, he marched to the beat of his own drum.

She wouldn't pretend to think that she understood him that well. She might very well spend this entire conversation and get nothing out of him as far as she could see while he might get the whole story from her.

That also didn't sit well with her.

* * *

**RWBY - - - Iron Man**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Atlas**

**City of Atlas**

**June 5th, 56 AGW**

Ironwood had gotten his work done for the day, but instead of simply finding more work to do that was not on his official list of things to do, he found himself sitting at a secluded bar with some very interesting company.

Sitting beside him was the businessman who had single-handedly turned turned so many heads in Atlas as of late. It was as if all the people of the high class couldn't get enough of the name Stark.

James had some mixed feelings on the matter. On one hand, there was no denying that the inventor was good at building weapons. He possessed a high degree of technical knowledge that couldn't be fully explained by pure education alone. Many times, the rising star had described himself as a genius, but now it was beginning to become a reality rather than just being mere spoken words.

On the other hand, Captain Ironwood wasn't one for arrogant types. To him, boastful types tended to be overcompensating for something and that seemed to be exactly what the CEO was doing. What was being compensated for was anyone's guess, but it was likely something personal. It wasn't any of his business to know, but it was a detail that he noticed.

"Mister Stark." James took a small sip from his drink. "Why are we here?"

"Why else?" Tony held his drink and did a little shrug. "To relax, take a load off. As for why you're here with me, well let's just say that you remind me of an old friend. He and I went to the same school together, knew each other for most of our lives. I wonder what he's doing now. He always did say that he wanted to join the military as an officer."

"I see." James focused his eyes on his opposite's expressions. "So I remind you of your friend."

"In a way. I think you two would get along well." Tony sighed as he raked a hand through his hair. "I just wish I knew where he was, but I've got no idea where he is and no clues as to where he could have gone."

"You two were close?" James wasn't sure what he wanted to get out of this question.

"He was my best friend and if he were here, I'd still call him that, but I don't know where he is." Tony stared out the window. "Or if he's even alive. If he's alive, then I can only hope he's making something of himself. If not, well, it's a shitty world we live in, right?"

It felt best to not pry any further into this topic. Based on the feeling surrounding those words, this was a rather sensitive topic, something that should not be pursued further. Whatever had happened in the past with Mister Stark and his best friend wasn't any of Ironwood's business and the captain had no reason to ask for further details. This didn't affect his life nor his career, so whatever idle curiosity he had would be left as it was.

"So, how about we be best buds?" Tony abruptly switched the discussion around. "I take it that military life doesn't afford you much in the way of personal time."

"It's a busy life, but it does have a purpose." James fully believed that. "And my position isn't necessarily tedious."

"Oh, I'm sure it isn't." Tony rolled his eyes lightly. "I mean, when you're in cahoots with good old Oz back at Beacon, your life is sure to be not uninteresting to say the least."

"On that we can agree." James couldn't agree more with that sentiment. "Ozpin does keep some interesting company."

"Don't even get me started on that." Tony took another swig, letting out a small sigh of satisfaction. "I've got his number one team on my payroll so to speak. Let's just say that the results that I'm getting back are amazing and completely nonsensical all in one."

"Team STRQ." James knew who they were. "I am familiar with their accomplishments. Ozpin has a particular fixation on making them into the best huntsman team of this generation."

"And for the life of me I can't figure out why though." Tony said. "Not to discount their skills and talents, but they're just four kids. What exactly are they going to do against entire armies of Grimm?"

"A miracle according to Ozpin." James recalled a few words he heard from the headmaster of Beacon. "He's searching for diamonds in the rough and he's hoping to find one that'll help him turn the tide."

"It's a nice thought." Tony snorted at that very notion. "But it's stupid not to mention unrealistic and naive. If huntsmen were enough to turn the tide, then the Grimm should've been long gone."

"And Grimm are not the only threat to this world." James mused out loud. "But I'm sure you already knew that."

"Hey, what can I say?" Tony gave him an amused look. "I deal in the business of death. You know, the media's already giving me a nickname. 'The Merchant of Death.' It's got a nice ring to it."

"The media will say whatever it needs to in order to remain interesting and relevant in society." James relayed. "However, you don't seem at all intimidated by their presence."

"All publicity is good publicity to me." Tony finished off his drink. "If I spent every waking moment coming up with all the screwups I've committed in my life, I could fill a dictionary with the definitions of all of them."

"Yet here you are."

"And here I am."

A pointless conversation this was, but it wasn't unpleasant by any means. It was a nice change of pace, being able to simply not be constantly thinking about the next project to complete or the next order to fulfill. The captain didn't mind the more monotonous tasks of his job nor did he complain when he received tough missions and duties, but when he finally got a chance to relax, it was then that he appreciated how much he needed a break. It was something he rediscovered every time he took a breather after many days of nonstop action.

James knew that he was something of a workaholic, although not quite to the extreme of Jacque Schnee. Still, there were years that he could count the number of days he had taken off on two hands. Because he had no family to support and no outstanding hobbies or interests outside the military, he could afford to work this much.

He couldn't even remember why he was here to begin with. When trying to reach into his memories to recall his reason for being here, he came back empty. It was like he had forgotten the call he had received from his companion.

"Why the long face?" Tony looked him in the eye. "Let me guess, you forgot why you came here."

James laughed slightly. "Among other things. I was sure that this conversation was going to be businesslike in nature."

"I need my drinking buddy and you're the man for the job, Tin Man." Tony patted his self-appointed friend on the back casually. "So get used to the idea."

"Again with that calling." James produced a dismayed face.

"Just roll with it, okay?" Tony shrugged off any potential scolding. "You're my friend, so you're going to be subject to nicknames."

This was hardly the worst thing to be called. When it came to the military, shit-talking was an expected thing. It was a sort of test to see who was the big bad alpha in the group. When putting trained killers in the same room, the most obvious outcome was a fight to assume dominance. Sometimes that meant fighting with fists and weapons, other times with words and insults. The latter often could venture into dangerous territory, but that was irrelevant; the one who could withstand the pressure and fire back was considered strong. It was like a simulation of the battlefield. The variables and situations were not always fair, so the only thing to do was to take whatever action necessary to win.

And there was absolutely no doubt at this time. Tony wasn't a man who liked to play fair. He was playing to win. Whatever method could be utilized that didn't break social rules or laws, he would use it. However unconventional, however questionable, however absurd, the genius inventor wasn't one to discard a potential tool if it could be used to further his goals. It wasn't exactly along the lines of 'the ends justify the means,' but it was closer to that than moral righteous.

Maybe there was a lot more to talk about between the two of them than meets the eye. This little detour from the normal routine could have just provided a new outlook that would be very useful in the long run.

Captain James Ironwood didn't have many men outside of the military that he could call a true friend, but there was a possibility right here.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Atlas**

**Polendina Laboratory**

**June 7th, 56 AGW**

Pietro Polendina had been a very busybody ever since meeting fellow scientist and engineer Tony Stark.

Ever since the talk about A.I., there had been a constant flow of information between the two of them. Exchanges of ideas, criticisms and critiques, evolutions, the works. Anything that could assist the two of them in the completion of a true artificial intelligence was taken into consideration.

While Tony provided a very strong foundation, Pietro was able to fine tune the details into the most advanced systems that Atlas had to offer. It was hard for the two of them to find time to work together simultaneously, even with a remote connection. As a result, the best that they could do was send each other updates as to what the other had accomplished and use each communique as a building block.

Without a doubt, to get to the point that they were going for would take time, but with the two of their minds combined, they could see some potential as early as in a few months, but realistically, the end of the year seemed a far more appropriate deadline. They might be able to shorten the necessary time for completion if not for the swarm of other higher-priority work that needed to be accomplished.

Alongside the things that the Atlas Military needed done, there was also the walk-in appointments that he needed to attend to. These street-level jobs, while paying far less than a contract with the military and government, were rewarding in their own way. With all the complicated things that went on in the world, it was easy to forget more simple and happier things.

A ring told him that he had received a message. Temporarily putting down his tools, he made his way to his console, tapping a few icons before opening up a message. It was a message from Mister Stark informing him about new adjustments he made to the programming in order to allow for more human-like tones and conversations.

This could prove to be either a really good thing or a really bad thing. Considering the glass-half-full side, a more approachable interface would do wonders in how people interacted with their technology. It might make people more receptive to new advances. On the glass-half-empty side, it might be a really uncanny experience, interacting with a voice that was so realistic, yet not quite living.

All personal tastes aside, Pietro couldn't see this as anything but important. The ability of an A.I. surpassed anything that a human or faunus could accomplish. Trillions of calculations and tasks could be done in a fraction of the time it would take the average person to do the exact same thing. This would greatly assist in the ability to further discover new scientific discoveries by many times. In less than half a century's time, there could be more inventions and innovations than in the past several hundred years combined.

What would the future look like in ten years?

Twenty years?

Fifty?

A hundred?

Doctor Polendina couldn't say for sure.

* * *

**Hey, I managed to get chapter in within a month. That's something that's been getting increasingly harder for me as time goes on. I've no doubt that I've missed a fair share of grammar errors, but I will fix those for sure.**

**Perhaps the most important part of any story is the character dynamic. The protagonist has to have a wide pool of friends, acquaintances, and the works to have a intersting story. Sometimes, that's all you need to be excellent, even with a sub-par plot and story.**

**The next step to the story is moving the plot forward. Over the course of the next few chapters, I will be highlighting critical moments and character development, all with the intent of serving the overall plot. I have a rough map of how this will all end as well as the very important stops along the way. I just need to fill in the details.**

**As always, reviews and feedback is greatly appreciated.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed this installation of The Remnant Reactor.**

_**"There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination, and wonder."**_

**Ronald Reagan**


	9. CARROT HAIR, PANTHER SWAG, HACKING

**CHAPTER 9: CARROT HAIR, PANTHER SWAG, HACKING**

**Remnant, System Unknown**

** City of Vale**

** Stark Residence**

** June 5th, 56 AGW**

Penny hummed to herself.

As of late, she had been spending a considerable amount of time with Mister Stark learning about science stuff. For some reason, consuming his knowledge seemed far more interesting than what she could hope to do in her own classroom, not that her class was lacking in excitement. On the contrary, things were going swimmingly at school. She had recently joined the Robotics Club in her school and she was making lots of new friends there. Most of the thanks for this push was thanks to her first friend.

For the past month, Penny had developed a rather interesting relationship with Mister Stark. It was easy to have fun with him because he never seemed to be lacking for things to do. Also, he just somehow managed to make things entertaining no matter what. Be it learning about technology, watching some interesting shows, or just being plain goofy, there was never a dull moment where this man was concerned.

The ginger-haired girl didn't think too much about why things were this way or how things had worked out so well. All she knew was that she wanted to continue being friends with the genius for as long as she could. He was her first true friend and she wanted to do as many friend activities as possible.

"I don't understand this one." Penny looked between a diagram in a book and a circuit board. "I thought I put everything together right."

"Not quite, ginger snap." Tony pointed to the problem. "See that there? You didn't quite snap it into place."

"How can you tell that it's not in place?" Penny asked him. "I don't see anything wrong with it."

"I built my first circuit board when I was four years old." Tony spoke of the accomplishment as if it were nothing. "I know what I'm doing."

"That's amazing!" Penny was impressed. "You really are a genius."

"Well, don't I feel like a happy camper." Tony chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Appreciate the thought, carrots, but that's not exactly news to anyone."

"But very few people can do what you've done." Penny pointed out. "That's worthy of praise!"

"You're not too bad yourself, little lady." Tony offhandedly complimented her. "A few more years and you might actually be really good at this stuff."

The more time that the orange-haired girl spent doing this, the more that she could agree with her companion's words. It wasn't all that long ago that she had been a bit aimless in what she wanted to do with her life. Now as she learned more and more about the fundamentals of the technology around her as well as the secretive stuff associated with the Stark name, she couldn't help but think that maybe this was indeed her calling.

Technology held infinite possibilities for mankind and time would only make those numerous possibilities become a reality. With the right advances and the proper mind to utilize them in a revolutionary way, the entire course of the world could change. The Cross Continental Transmit System, for example, was perhaps the most important invention of this century. It provided the world with the means of communication. All four kingdoms were able to keep in contact thanks to that network.

Penny wondered if maybe she could aspire to do something amazing for the world, providing it with an invention that would be used for years after its introduction to the world. The more that she delved into physics, robotics, and other engineering subjects, the more that she envisioned what she could create.

But before she could think about changing the world, she needed to fix the circuit board in front of her.

Tony, for the most part, only provided her with tips and information occasionally. He had given her basic assembly instructions, just enough for her to get started. He seemed to believe that his apprentice, as he liked to call her, was more than capable of taking on new challenges without him holding her hand every second. She wasn't as convinced as he was, but nevertheless, she kept at it.

Penny carefully moved her hands so as not to suddenly brush against the surface. Doing this type of work was very delicate. Even the smallest movements could cause enough damage to permanently warp this thing. She had been reminded of this many times and thankfully, she hadn't ruined any hardware yet.

"You can be a little bit more forceful." Tony reminded her. "I know that I said be careful, but this thing isn't a flower. A little more strength won't hurt it."

"Right." Penny listened and responded.

Applying just a little bit more pressure, she was rewarded with the sound of something snapping into place. Removing her hand from her field of view, she inspected the part that she had adjusted. Nothing appeared broken or otherwise unnatural. It looked like she had fixed that problem.

"So… how are things with your old man?" Mister Stark's inquiry came out of nowhere. "You… get that sorted out?"

"My old man? Oh, you mean my father. Surprisingly, yes." Penny glanced only once before resuming her work. "The changes in our relationship are small, but I have seen them.'

"Hm." Tony seemed satisfied with this answer.

"What about you?" Penny grabbed a screwdriver as she carefully made some minute adjustments to the board's position. "What's your family like?"

She continued to work, but she did note that he didn't reply immediately. For a few moments, she let her work distract her, but as her question went unanswered, she turned her head to see a face that looked distant. She caught this expression for a split second before he resumed a casual look.

"I don't have one." Tony shrugged his shoulders. "They're gone."

"Oh." Penny wasn't sure what she ought to say. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault." Tony stared off to his right. "It was an accident, nothing much to it."

Somehow, she got this feeling that it was a lot more personal than he cared to show her, but seeing as he didn't go into detail, maybe this was a sign that there wasn't anything else that he wished to talk about.

But it did make her wonder what it felt like to be alone without anyone to call family. That must be a very lonely feeling. Even though her relationship with her father had been somewhat distant and not as loving as she wished it was, at least they cared about each other. She knew the reason why it was. Her mother's death had changed their entire family. Her father never talked much about it and the ginger-haired teenager didn't ask. She had but a few vivid memories of her mother and that was likely all she would remember.

Penny refocused her efforts back on her work. This felt like an awkward time and she wanted to get back to the fun stuff.

The next hour was spent just working together on this small project. Neither of them strayed away from the subject at hand. For the most part, it was a process of listening and implementing. It was a steady and easy workflow.

Mister Stark had a face of intense concentration only when they were working on anything related to his fields of expertise. It was a small detail she noticed after spending this much time with him and while it had never seemed relevant before, something clicked in her mind. If he could approach all other activities with such confidence and flippancy yet treat his own engineering work so seriously, then clearly it was more to him than something he was good at.

Maybe it helped him get away from tough life stuff?

Penny couldn't even begin to understand what it was like to be the CEO of a budding company that was receiving so much attention from all around. If it was tough, then he was doing a good job of not showing it. Of course, assuming that his job was hard, then as a friend, wouldn't it be a good thing for her if she could lighten his load?

Could she work for Stark Industries?

No, that wouldn't work out. Firstly, she didn't have any formal training or experience. Yes, she was learning a great deal from the man behind it all, but that didn't really count as anything official. It was just one person teaching another.

Aside from that, there were some legal concerns. Technically, this stuff shouldn't be handled by anyone other than adults. Stark Industries was a weapons manufacturer and generally speaking, only huntsmen or governments found uses for such companies. A teenage girl didn't seem the right kind of place.

"I… have a question." Penny wasn't sure if this was right, but she got an idea.

"Shoot." Tony replied.

"Could I… work for you?" Penny realized her mistake. "I-I mean intern for your company."

"You want to do an internship with my company?" Tony appeared to be surprised. "You really love this work that much?"

"This is all very fascinating." Penny agreed. "But I want to help you."

"Help me?"

"Friends help each other, correct?"

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**City of Vale**

**Downtown**

**June 9th, 56 AGW**

Ghira had been busier than ever now that he was the newly-appointed liaison between the White Fang and Stark Industries. In more recent days, it was getting harder to find any sort of leisure time with his position being what it was, but he took this job with all that he had in him. This was critical work and his actions could affect not just himself but countless other faunus.

As promised between the pro-faunus organization and the weapons manufacturer, they had not made their relationship public. In fact, the plan was to keep the entire thing a secret for about a year, give or take. This time would serve two purposes. Firstly, it was a testing period to find the right people to work for the fledgling company. Secondly, the experience of these new employees would perhaps inspire creativity within the White Fang.

As Mister Stark had so eloquently put it in one of his speeches, competence was his only concern and while he was willing to give chances to the Faunus, he wouldn't hire anyone that couldn't do the job he needed done. Additionally, with the increased attention and business that Stark Industries was gaining, the work was not exactly easy nor did it promise stable work hours, but what was more important was that the pay and benefits were pretty good for a relatively small company and more importantly, getting to work under a rising brand name would go a long way to making life for the Faunus easier.

Ghira's duties not only meant speaking directly to Tony, but also keeping an eye on the individuals from the White Fang that had gotten positions within the weapons manufacturer. As far as he could tell, there had been nothing in the way of treatment issues. The few minor incidents that came up and been dealt with efficiently and professionally thanks to the CEO. It was amazing just how much the entire workforce of the new company, being comprised of humans and faunus, was getting along.

Then again, Stark Industries, being a recently-conceived industrial entity, could do whatever it wanted. If its head master said that everyone was welcome regardless of whatever characteristics they were born with, then most likely the only people who were brought into the company were people that could get along with others despite differences or at the very least tolerate and respect those differences if nothing else.

Tonight, Ghira wasn't about to get to work on anything. Instead, he was going to take some time off and go on an outing with Mister Stark. The invitation had come rather suddenly, but Ghira couldn't deny that in a professional setting, working with Tony was making his life just all the more interesting. Perhaps that sense could also be applied in an informal setting. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to be on more friendly terms with one of his contacts.

The outing was to take place in the City of Vale and thankfully this wasn't a problem seeing as the white fang member was already in the city on business. While being liaison to Stark Industries was his main job, he had many other engagements to other partners and clients as well.

The location that they were to meet in was called the Crow Bar. It wasn't the most creative name for a place to drink, but at least it was easy to remember.

While walking the streets of Vale, Ghira noticed many people staring his way, no doubt taking note of his size. He received quite a significant amount of attention with his massive height and build. More than once, he had used his body as a means of intimidation. It was easy to do and he had to remind himself only to use such an ability in moderation lest he become reliant upon it and become a changed man because of it. He could only imagine what looks people might give him if his faunus trait were not able to be hidden easily.

Checking his scroll for the occasional direction, he eventually came upon his destination, a small but well-maintained bar. There appeared to be almost no one inside. The only two people present was a single bartender who was cleaning some of his glasses and Tony, who was casually drinking while staring at nothing in particular. The inventor's eyes turned to him, motioning him inside.

"Right on time, big man." Tony greeted him. "The bar's all ours for the night. I thought we might just have a chat, cut loose a bit, you know."

"Thank you for inviting me." Ghira cautiously took a seat. "I've been so swept up taking care of business that I forgot to take breaks."

"I know the feeling." Tony snorted a bit. "But that's just the life we signed up for, right? We're trying to fix an imperfect world and it's the only one we've got."

"Imperfect feels like a generous word at times." Ghira sighed. "But you're right. This is only the beginning."

"Well, enough about that stressful mumbo-jumbo." Tony waved his hand off. "Drinks are on the house."

Normally, the faunus man didn't drink all that much, but he did have a drink or two that he enjoyed on occasion. Now that he thought about it, it had been a while since he had last drank any sort of alcohol. He supposed it was time to go a little crazy because if not now, then when?

His host did say drinks were free after all.

"So, real question." Tony leaned in as if about to talk about something really secretive. "You any good with the ladies?"

Ghira raised an eyebrow. "Where is this coming from?"

"Call me curious." Tony appeared very interested in this topic. "I don't mean to brag, but I've got a considerable list of conquests, but that can't be helped seeing as I've got it where it counts in all departments."

"Your confidence must be the most well-staffed department." Ghira couldn't help but quip.

"It's never steered me wrong before." Tony grinned sardonically "But what about you? I'm assuming that you've gotten more than your fair share of eyes turned to you."

"There have been a few women." Ghira had more than a few outstanding traits, he would admit that much. "But I haven't committed to anything serious."

"A shame, man." Tony patted his companion on the shoulder. "These are your best years. You should really make sure that you don't regret not living it up a bit more. Get out more, hook up with some chicks."

"It's an interesting thought, but I can't see myself doing that." Ghira knew how he felt on the subject. "Besides, the White Fang is the most important thing in my life right now."

"Alright, tough guy. If casual encounters aren't your style, then find a girlfriend that you go steady with." Tony came up with a new suggestion. "You don't have to be serious about it, but maybe a bit of romance in your life won't hurt."

Ghira looked dubious. "Since when are you an expert at love?"

Tony swished his glass back and forth. "I'm not. I'm just trying to help a guy out. I mean, I might as well, right? I don't exactly have a reason not to help you."

"Are you sure that you're completely sane?" Ghira questioned.

"I'm here enough." Tony pointed to the counter. "Let's see if you'll be here once you're done with that."

In the middle of their conversation, the bartender had finished mixing the faunus man's drink. The recipient of the concoction drew the glass to his lips and took a drink. The taste was sweet and mellow, nothing too overpowering, just the way he liked it. Being a tea drinker, he always preferred more calm and cool flavors over intense and hot ones.

"I don't fancy myself a heavy drinker, but don't underestimate me." Ghira carefully put his glass down on the counter. "I can hold my alcohol just fine."

"Sounds like a challenge to me." Tony appeared fired up. "How about a wager?"

"This ought to be good." Ghira didn't like where this was going. "What did you have in mind?"

"If I win this thing, I'm finding you a date." Tony stated. "If you win, you find me a date."

"That's it?" Ghira was expecting something else.

"What, is that too much for you to handle, Bagheera?"

"...Bagheera?"

"Oh, did I mention that I have a thing for nicknames? Well, I did just now so now you know. I just gave you your nickname, so get used to it, will you?"

As the night dragged on, it became increasingly unstable for the two men as they took more shots and became more hazy in their thoughts. It got to a point where the bartender had to inform them of the results because neither of them could remember who had outlasted the other. It had been a very close match. Ghira might have a very high tolerance for alcohol, but Tony had more experience with drinking and the latter had managed to pull off a narrow victory.

When Ghira had regained consciousness and was fully cognizant, he was asking himself one question.

Why did he agree to this to begin with?

* * *

**RWBY - - - Iron Man**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**City of Vale**

**Stark Residence**

**June 11th, 56 AGW**

Tony knew that he was working a little too hard for his own good. While being busy and productive was a really good thing, the amount of work that he had taken on was massive, perhaps too much so for one man to take on alone.

But being the CEO of a "new" company, he couldn't very well slack off at a time like this. If he wanted his name to be synonymous with weapons, he would need to dedicate himself to years of tireless and continuous work. After all, he did want to have his name become even more famous than that of the Schnee Dust Company. If that was to become a reality, then he would have to work for it.

It was all worth it though. After nearly four months of starting from scratch, securing deals, forming alliances and allies, and recruiting some good people, things were looking really pretty. In fact, it was becoming more likely that by the end of this year, Stark Industries would reach a valuation of Ⱡ1 billion. Already, they had surpassed Ⱡ100 million, so being even more ambitious felt like the right thing to do.

Tony wanted to do something to celebrate, but then he remembered a little side project that he had been neglecting in favor of building his company. Now that he had a breather, it was time to see what he could dig up on Ozpin.

As of late, he had come up with a little program designed to track information regarding persons of interest. He had been using said program to gather up all the dirt that he could on all the people that were relevant to him. He wasn't sure if he was ever going to need this stuff, but better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. There was no telling when he would need to get himself out of trouble using this underhanded but perfectly legitimate method.

Well, it wasn't really legal per say. He wasn't just scouring the entirety of the CCTS. He has actively burrowing his way into databases, public and private, civilian and military, old and new, everything that could store information. Basically, he was doing all sorts of wrong, but as long as he wasn't caught, it wouldn't matter. Plus, his program was far beyond anything that Remnant could throw at him. The Pentagon was far more secure that all the military installations of Atlas and he had hacked the Pentagon on a dare in high school.

In the end, Tony reasoned that it wasn't worth trying to get all hot and bothered over. This just made his job a lot easier. After he gathered all the necessary information, he would store it on his private server and he would make sure to erase all traces of his electronic footprints. It was like taking candy from a baby, nothing to it.

Back to Ozpin, the man had a very interesting history. He was a prodigy huntsman who had taken over the reigns from his predecessor. Actually, that wasn't merely restricted to the current headmaster. If anything, it seemed that all the previous headmasters of Beacon Academy seemed to just coincidently be very gifted at killin Grimm. They ranged in ages, looks, and fighting styles, but the high aptitude for killing was common amongst them all.

Not just that, but records seemed to indicate that all of these men who had led Beacon were connected in some form. None of these relationships were surface-level. They carried great importance.

Furthermore, it seemed really odd that Ozpin had connections to all the academies. On the surface, that didn't seem to be a problem. All of the huntsman academies on Remnant shared the same goal, but that was the problem. The four institutions seemed a little too connected in a way. It felt like their design wasn't so much coincidental as it was intentional.

Additionally, how the academies were founded only further increased his suspicions. The King of Vale ended the war with a single and decisive show of power that had all the other rulers of the world bow their heads in submission, but instead of ruling the world, he created the academies. It was almost like the king was trying to preserve a legacy far older than himself, something much more powerful.

Tony combed through more information about the people he had met and compared their information, attempting to piece together a semblance of the secrets that Ozpin held. There had to be more to this story, something that he wasn't seeing. Between the students, faculty, and the various huntsmen and huntresses across the world, there had to be a common thread linking it all together.

As he was well aware, countless kids were being made into soldiers to kill Grimm, but after over fifty years of training elite warriors, there appeared to be little in the way of tangible progress. The Grimm were still wandering in droves and the kingdoms were content to pretend that their peace would last forever, but half a century of peace wasn't that long.

Back home, there were more than a handful of World War II veterans still alive to remember the horrors of Earth's most devastating war. Hell, there were physical remnants and undeniable proof of the conflict's existence. The thing that the Great War had in common with WW2 was simply that with time, people were forgetting about it.

However, just because people forget doesn't make history go away.

Back to the topic, figuring out the end goal was tough. There was no point in sending countless men and women to their deaths all for nothing. If there was as purpose, than it was doing a good job of not revealing itself. There must be something he could opt to ignore in favor of a less obvious clue. The broad picture wasn't yielding any results, so narrowing the search to more specific individuals would be the next logical step.

Tony thought about everyone that he had gotten into contact in his time on Remnant and more specifically, the people that had some sort of relation to Ozpin, even if only peripheral. He instantly ruled out Team STRQ because they were first-year students and most likely not too entrenched in the war that Ozpin was gearing up for. If the old man truly thought that a few hundred huntsmen and huntresses were going to save the world by themselves, then he must have many screws loose. For all of their strengths in battle, these enhanced individuals were still mortal at the end of the day.

Conventional warfare was still a much-needed necessity for combating large hordes of Grimm. What an army lacked in quality they made up for in quantity. Plus, when it came to training individuals to fight in the military, it wasn't all that hard. Any normal person could train their body into good shape and fire a rifle with decent accuracy. Mass produce enough of these individuals and that would more than suffice. The fact that no kingdom on Remnant had given up on a standing military save for Vacuo meant that a huntsman was in essence a special forces operative, a very important piece, but not irreplaceable.

Tony couldn't quite wrap his head around any of it. What made Ozpin believe so much in an individual above an entire army?

An alert sound reverberated as a window popped up. The inventory tapped his pointer finger to widen the image and began to read its contents. He was able to rapidly take in the information. Once he finished, he sat back in his chair with a look of exasperation.

"Figures that I need to go on site." Tony put his hand in his face, letting some unpleasant sounds from his mouth before resuming his cool. "Well, guess I'm paying a visit to the Wizard of Oz. I'll just grab some weapon data from Team STRQ while I'm at it."

Now that he thought about it, there might be a way for him to get into Beacon Academy's remote systems without going there directly. He was kicking himself for not thinking about it before. Well, at least he had saved himself some trouble.

Grabbing his scroll, the young man accessed his list of contacts. It was amazing that this list had once been empty, but now it was filling up with many numbers from some of the most powerful and influential people in all of Remnant, but today, he wasn't making any calls to any adults.

A bunch of kids would be providing him with the means to get inside.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Beacon Accademy**

**Student Dorms**

**June 11th, 56 AGW**

Summer and the rest of her team had retired for the day after intense training. While the school semester might have ended a few weeks ago, there was still the Vytal Festival to compete in. Naturally, Team STRQ was going to compete in this competition. All of them had their opinions regarding the whole thing.

Summer was absolutely floored.

Taiyang was excited, albeit more controlled in his excitement.

Raven honestly wasn't expecting much.

Qrow had tuned it all out.

"Man why can't it get here any sooner?" Summer began to whine. "We've still got a month from the Vytal Tournament. What are we supposed to do in that time?"

"More training." Taiyang answered.

"Missions." Raven added.

"Killing Grimm." Qrow intoned.

"I know that!" Summer rounded on her teammates with a light glare. "What do you take me for?"

"A foolish little girl." Raven shot back.

"We're the same age!" Summer countered.

"Are we?" Raven seemed amused. "I can't be too sure about that. The way you act seems to indicate otherwise."

"Qrow, Raven is bullying me!" Summer turned to her other dark-haired teammate. "Do something about her!"

"No." Qrow didn't miss a beat.

"Traitor!" Summer pouted. "Tai! A little help, please?"

"The things I do for this team." Taiyang sighed, but didn't turn down the plea. "Raven, can you tone it down?"

"But I like it when she's like this." Raven casually paced her arm around Summer's shoulders. "So vulnerable."

"Right. Well, how abo-"

It was then that someone's scroll began to sound off. By instinct, each of them knew what ringtone the others had. Three pairs of eyes rounded on the team leader, who appeared curious as to who was calling her at this time. As far as she knew, she didn't have any pressing issues, appointments, or other engagements to attend to.

"Must be my parents." Summer retrieved her scroll. "..."

"Well, well, well." Raven took note of the number and the name next to it. "If it isn't our namesake weapons company?"

"Stark's calling?" Qrow kind of gave an irritated sound. "What the hell does he want?"

"We won't know unless we answer." Tai replied. "Let's-"

"Hold on!" Summer began to mess with her appearance. "Do I look okay!? How's my hair!? Any zits on my face!? Do I have scars!?"

"Why are you concerned about how you look?" Qrow didn't understand her current behavior. "It's just a phone call. You can't see him and he can't see you."

"Just a call!?" Summer looked offended. "This is Tony Stark, a true and genuine weapons developer with technical skills and knowledge unparalleled by anyone! He's going to be the biggest name right next to the Schnee Dust Company! Of course I have to look great! He's my idol!"

Taiyang looked confused. "But it's just a phone call."

"You have too high of an opinion on the man." Raven dismissed everyone's nonsensical chatter. "But we might as well answer the call. This is the fourth ring!"

"NONONO!" Summer frantically hit the answer button." M-Mister Stark! How can we help you?!"

"Hey, short stack!" Tony's familiar voice sounded. "I see you're as sprightly as ever. That's good, I'm gonna need that motivation. I've got a teensy favor to ask you."

"Anything!" Summer nodded eagerly as if he was able to see her.

* * *

**Some of you might be wondering what's up with the gap month. It wasn't for lack of motivation or ideas. I just needed to get some other stories updated that hadn't been on my radar for a while, so I apologize for the extra wait time.**

**As Volume 7 of RWBY progresses, I am finally able to confirm that indeed Willow Schnee is the name of the Schnee matriarch of the family and that for all intents and purposes, she's a spectator in her own life. She doesn't really control much in her family, she's given up on being anything more than a drunk failure of a mother, and she's just plain depressing, but I will say that her brief scene with Weiss has given me a few ideas on how I can use her character. Since my voters have given me the challenge of making Winter and Weiss the biological daughters of Tony Stark, why not take that rebellious streak a bit further?**

**And yes, I did fix Doctor Polendina's first name. Fortunately, we're not too far in that I can't change it, so for those of you who with that burning question, there you go.**

**On an unrelated note, I rewatched all of Iron Man and I was hit by lots of nostalgia. I first saw this movie when it came out and I remembered it well as a good movie. Watching it as an adult with the life experiences I've gone through and the changes to myself as as person has only made me appreciate it more. The overall film represents something much different than how Avengers: Endgame presented itself, that much is for sure.**

**So what are all of your thoughts regarding this chapter? Please leave feedback and criticisms as you see fit. I've done a readthrough of this chapter and fixed many errors, but feel free to tell me if I missed anything.**

**Thanks for reading and welcome to 2020! I hope that all of you do great things!**

_**"Someone is sitting in the shade because someone planted a tree a long time ago."**_

**Warren Buffett**


	10. YOU'VE GOT THE TOUCH

**CHAPTER 10: YOU'VE GOT THE TOUCH**

**Remnant, System Unknown**

** Kingdom of Vale**

** Stark Residence**

** June 18th, 56 AGW**

Stark Industries would one day dominate this world, that much Tony could say for sure, but only if he kept at his pace. Each step, big or small, was always important to keep track of.

In a week's passing, he had recruited some more people, had a discussion with the council of Vale to finalize the agreed-upon transactions, and talks between Atlas were proceeding smoothly. All of this was good news, but it was hardly surprising news.

What time wasn't spent working on the company was invested into shoring up his own resources. His home was a modest place, easily affordable by an upper middle-class family. His reason for not spending exorbitant amounts of lien on housing was simple. What money wasn't going directly into the company was being used to make more money. He needed every penny that he could muster.

As luck would have it, there was a stock market in this world as well, but then again that seemed only sensible given that business existed here too. The Stark CEO was scraping together everything he could in order to maximize his potential earnings. Contrary to popular belief back on Earth, he was more than just an egghead. Being the heir to his father's legacy, he had picked up many tricks and hacks of the trade that he was now applying on Remnant. He kept tabs on trends, found obscure information regarding potentially game-changing inventions, and carefully observed the history of this world's market.

Tony was confident in his ability to predict what would make him the most money and he invested accordingly, but he would be a fool to bet all of his cash into only a few sectors. As good as he was in seeing the big picture, he knew not to underestimate a global economy. Even the most experienced and skilled traders couldn't always predict the status of the market with total accuracy. It was impossible, thus the need to have backup plans in the event that these new ideas didn't pan out.

And speaking of new ideas, the genius had recently developed an interest in Atlas's evolution of technology. Being the most superior of all the kingdoms in this regard, knowing how to anticipate their growth would allow him to keep them coming back for more. Perhaps because they relied so heavily upon technology made them very easy targets.

To add to that, Atlas was also the place where the wealthy and influential held the most dominion over the general population. However democratic the kingdom was, the fact remained that their fundamental way of life was clear as day. There were the ultra-wealthy and the ultra-poor. Atlas was the former, Mantle was the latter.

More importantly, Tony began to ponder something he had always been wondering. Atlas itself was a massive floating city in the sky, suspended by gravity dust according to official sources, but as far as the inventor could understand, no gravity dust crystal, no matter how big, could support so much mass like the kingdom of ice, not even when networked with a massive amount of gravity dust. Something about the math was off and he had done numerous calculations himself to confirm this.

This begged the question: what was really supporting Atlas in the sky? What could manipulate gravity so much that would allow Atlas to stay afloat?

Answering that question would undoubtedly do more than satiate his curiosity. It could very well be the most advantageous thing he could find out. Hell, it could even change the game entirely. Imagining the possibilities with that kind of secret could unlock the doors to many other avenues of profit.

Tony now required a means of infiltrating the most classified places of Atlas, but before he could do so, he needed to make sure that his little side project was moving along smoothly. Thanks to Team STRQ, the young man had secured a foothold into Beacon Academy without anyone even knowing it. All he did was ask them to take some pictures of their weapons and send them to him so that he could figure out how he was going to break into the huntsman market for weapons and gear.

What he didn't tell the four of them was while those pictures were being sent, he was simultaneously returning an invisible package back. It was a little thing that was now spreading throughout all of Beacon Academy's systems to any sort of electronic device. Now, he had a way of collecting data without needing to be physically present. If anyone tried to do a system sweep, the package would simply adapt and speed up, almost becoming part of the system rather than being an invader of the system.

A week later after his call to Team STRQ, the information pouring in was making things pretty spicy. As Tony had expected, all the men that the wizard had connected him to had one thing in common: they all were involved in a sort of secretive brotherhood that dealt in something unexpected.

Four women with magical powers.

As if aura and semblances weren't hard enough to believe, now there was magic. That was the sort of thing which could only happen in a comic book or some really weird fantasy movie or TV show. Star Wars seemed the closest point of comparison and even that sounded pretty logical when comparing it to this.

Actually, it would be incorrect to say that Tony had learned about the Maidens from listening in on Ozpin. He had heard the headmaster referencing the four seasons in relationship to four women. From there, it wasn't hard to look up stuff on the CCTS. Lord and behold, it was a reference to a fairy tale that went back hundreds of years ago and it was a popular one at that.

The Four Maidens, a story about how four girls came to befriend an old wizard, each giving him a gift which warmed his heart. These gifts were not given for any other reason than simply because it was possible to do so and thus should be done so. Basically, it was a story about how kindness should always be cherished and spread around. In return, the wizard granted the four sisters unimagineable power. Then everyone lived happily ever after.

The end.

But it wasn't the end because if Ozpin, a man who was such a calculating individual, believed in the story, then it must have happened in the past, or at the very least there was an element of truth to it. Jumping to conclusions was a bad idea at this juncture, but with all the evidence gathered, the only rational thing to do for now was to take all this talk of magic and maidens seriously.

So assuming that the maidens were a thing, were these four women still out there?

No, that didn't make any sense. There was no talk of immortality or anything like that. More likely, the power had to have been passed on to someone else, presumably other women otherwise they couldn't be called maidens.

Accepting that assumption as fact, what were the criteria for becoming a maiden?

Who were the current maidens now?

If he knew about them, who else did?

Could they be potential targets?

Tony threw all the questions that he could muster, but with such barebone knowledge on the subject, the best answers he could find were shots in the dark and he wasn't about to play a game of Twenty Questions. His mind demanded concrete, tangible proof that could not be denied. Finding those answers was the tough part and short of asking the Wizard of Oz or his cohorts, there was nothing else to be done.

Or maybe...

The twenty-two year old sat up straight and began to access his console. He had been primarily listening to Ozpin's side of a conversation in regards to phone calls, not really getting the entirety of the situation. Fortunately, Tony knew the names of the people that the headmaster was speaking to. Now he needed to find those phone calls.

If he was lucky, then it wouldn't be all that difficult to retrace a call made. The CCTS made information easy to obtain. All data electronically sent went through this system and even better yet, both ends of the line were already known. Now he just had to cross-reference the dates and times and he had a winner.

Tony slid back from his desk to spin around in his chair. He was feeling tired right now and yet it was the middle of the day. He still had calls of his own to make, people to talk to about the progress of the first shipments of the Jaeger missiles, important offers to make and respond to, and all of that.

When was the last time he had taken a vacation?

Right. Never.

But there would be no rest for the wicked. World domination wasn't going to get done by taking some time off.

Tony moved to his wardrobe, taking a minute to fix himself up. Dressing himself was a critical part of how well his dealings went over. No matter where he went, it went without saying that a well-dressed man curried respect from all people.

Plus, wearing an all-black suit to Atlas made him stand out and that was perfect for what he needed. Part of his game plan to become a household name required that he use all the tricks in the book to stand out. The number one reason that any good idea failed to take off was on account of failing to be distinct.

And Tony Stark didn't fail.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Atlas**

**Polendina Laboratory**

**June 24th, 56 AGW**

Pietro found himself utterly amazed by what he was witnessing here. Never in his entire life would he have imagined witnessing a true Artificial Intelligence come to life for the first time in all of Remnant. This was the stuff of science fiction at best if not for the untimely appearance of one very talented and genius engineer.

Even the good doctor couldn't help but concede that his fellow scientist was his superior in this regard, but what was more important was that he was learning all sorts of new things from this project. With a little tweaking and some more time, there was no telling where this could all go.

_"This artificial intelligence recognizes Mister Tony Stark and Doctor Pietro Polendina as its creators."_ A male voice with a Mistralian accent sounded. _"Designation is J.A.R.V.I.S."_

"Jarvis?" Pietro looked confused.

"It's short for Just A Rather Very Intelligent System." Tony explained. "It's kind of like an A.I. butler if you will."

_"And I am pleased to assist either of your gentleman in any affairs that you deem necessary."_

"J.A.R.V.I.S." Tony immediately thought of a command. "What are the current numbers on Stark Industries in regards to our valuation?"

_"Sir, when accounting for all known factors, the current valuation for Stark Industries is standing at around 100 million."_

"Amazing." Pietro said with awe. "And you didn't even feed it any information."

"This is just the beginning, doc." Tony grinned. "The applications are numerous. Pretty much any industry can benefit from this research. Agriculture, aviation, computer science, finance, medicine, communications, military, you name it and this could improve them all a hundred fold and then some."

"How do you see it being used?" Pietro cut to the million-lien question. "As a matter of fact, why involve me? I'm honored to have been a great help, but I get the feeling that your reasons are more far-reaching."

"Well, you're not wrong." Tony gave him a straight look. "Yes, I do have a reason for choosing you. Since you have a connection to the Atlas military, I was hoping to softly introduce a bit of all this into their systems. We'll call it a massive system overhaul because let's face it. Systems now will become obsolete. We need something that is constantly adapting and evolving to a changing world."

"That is true." Pietro could see the merit in that thought process. "However, who gets to have access to this A.I. research? Depending on who knows about this, we could be affecting millions of people positively or negatively."

"There's a plan, granted it's still got some bugs, but it's there." Tony leaned forward on a work table. "The first thing we need to do is experiment in a controlled environment to see how it functions. I intended to use J.A.R.V.I.S. as a first step."

"So for now, this is all private." Pietro thought about it for a moment. "How long is this testing phase going to last?"

"I'd say we'll give the first phase two years, maybe three if I need additional data." Tony inspected his scroll for live information. "If we need more ones and zeros, then I'd say we expand our pool and move to phase two."

This sounded like a master plan in the works, something that Doctor Polendina couldn't say that he had much experience dealing with. Most of the time, his work consisted of helping people on the ground. Helping the little folk was basically his entire reason for becoming a scientist. While not ignorant of big changes in the world, he wouldn't say that he could catch all of the nuances when it came to ground-breaking progress.

As far as he saw it, artificial intelligence could see all of Remnant's technology improve by leaps and bounds. Humans and faunus were flawed beings, capable of making many mistakes proven only by the history of the world, but a mind that could potentially eliminate human error would do more than produce fewer imperfect products and services. It would accelerate the time between concepts becoming reality. Taken to its Nth degree, A.I. was capable of entirely changing social interactions, which would then affect culture.

Of course, all of this was surface-level analysis on the matter and this entire project was far from going public. It probably wouldn't even be a good idea to introduce this stuff to the governments of the world. They were having a tough enough time trying to wrap their heads around Stark Industries weapons technology.

"And now that we're on the subject of future plans, I do have one other thing that I want to try out." Mister Stark accessed some information on his scroll. "Take a look at this and tell me what you think."

Sliding the device onto a surface, a hologram appeared, showing a human head, which was then converted into code. That was what Pietro interpreted, but he didn't quite understand what exactly this was supposed to mean. He kept reviewing, taking in each and every detail carefully.

After the fifth time, it finally struck him. This was supposed to be a person's brain interfacing with code or technology.

"Is it possible for people to directly interface with technology?" Doctor Polendina, as optimistic as he was, was unsure. "Certainly, prosthetics are one matter, but a brain being able to connect to electronic devices is more than a little dangerous."

"It's closer than you think it is." Tony crossed his arms. "Think of it like virtual reality utilized in a more simplistic manner."

"But virtual reality is meant to simulate real life." Pietro pointed out. "While we know what hardware and software are, we have nothing that would let us picture what it would feel like to our senses. The experience would be completely new to all of Mankind. In order to better accommodate a normal person into accepting computer data, we would need a more user-friendly approach."

"Good point, but there's no point in worrying about that now seeing as this is all theory." Tony pointed back to his scroll. "Back to this, just imagine what could be done if everyone could process information faster. Better yet, what if we could take a person's consciousness and transfer it into a machine and vice versa."

"Perhaps, but then we would have the problem of dealing with a body and no brain functionality, at least partially." Pietro had unknowingly picked up a pencil, moving it around in his hand. "And I don't see the practicality."

"I wouldn't say that just yet. You haven't even heard what it can do." Tony replied. "It does have lots of potential in the right hands. For example, a person that has their mind transferred and stored in an electronic device is now an open book. Lying becomes a thing of the past and truth becomes the hero."

That sounded like something that militaries would pay top lien to have in their arsenal, but that presented lots of other issues in regards to morals. People all around the world had a deep respect for privacy and individuality. As such, bringing this to life would no doubt put quite a few people on edge.

An argument could be made that this wasn't strictly enforcing any rules or regulations against anyone's will, but if it was advertised that it could do such a thing as prevent lying, that would be more than enough to influence mass amounts of people. If that was the general perception, then it would be little better than population control.

It felt inconceivable that Mister Stark was the sort of man that sought to use his intellect to coerce people into his way of thinking, yet he had been the one to put forward the idea. Was there some sort of plan behind this too?

"Okay so maybe that wasn't the best point to start off." As if sensing reservation, Tony attempted another sales pitch. "If we can directly read into someone's signals, we can modify behaviors, enhancing good traits and reducing or even eliminating bad ones."

"I think that it's best that this be put to rest." Pietro decided his stance on the matter. "As much as it would be nice to become better versions of ourselves, it's best to do these things because we chose to ourselves, not through augmented means."

"People do love their underdog stories, don't they?" Tony grabbed his scroll and shut it off. "Well, I'll save it. It could be useful later."

Another scrap to add to the pile. That was the work that scientists were involved in. Bad ideas were a dime a dozen and good ideas were very scarce.

But it was still worth it to pitch something and see if it stuck.

* * *

**RWBY - - - Iron Man**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Vale**

**Beacon Tower**

**June 28th, 56 AGW**

Ozpin stared out the window. He had a call with James and Leonardo in a few minutes. In the meantime, he took the time to review what he was going to discuss with them.

Four months. In the early days of February, one Tony Stark had come from another world with no explanation. In that short time, he had gotten a highly successful company off the ground and his name was becoming famous. In all of his years of witnessing the best of what Mankind could offer, the old wizard could say that this man was truly a unique gem, a once in a few generations find.

But the genius's cooperation in the war to come wasn't going to be necessarily easy. It's not that the headmaster doubted that the young man wouldn't see a reason to join. What was most problematic about this other-worldly traveller was that he was highly unpredictable. While perfectly willing to play along with others, Mister Stark was hardly a straight shooter. His actions ranged from logical to looney and everything else in between. Keeping him out of the public eye was no longer an option seeing as he had already made himself known to very powerful and influential people.

But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Having the ability to influence mass audiences was a sort of power that was hard to obtain and the few that did have such an ability were truly forces to be reckoned with. Used in the right way, hope could be inspired quickly and from a well-known person. Granted, said person would have to have strong ties to the people and have a very good public image. Still, it was worth considering.

For now, it was enough for Stark Industries to be supplying the world's kingdoms with weapons intended to kill Grimm. Not only would this be a massive boon the militaries of the world. Huntsmen and huntresses too would also benefit. As skilled and deadly as these men and women were at their jobs, there were limited in number and very few people in the world had the qualifications necessary to become such elite warriors and even these unique individuals couldn't do anything. There was still a place for conventional military forces.

The question was how much was this going to change the dynamic between the councils of the four kingdoms as well and the huntsmen and huntresses meant to protect all of civilization from the Grimm. The reason why the huntsman academies had such a good relationship with the world was because they played a critical role in securing the peace that the average person enjoyed.

How would that all change as military technology changed and evolved to meet greater challenges on the battlefield?

In a world where a single infantryman was capable of doing so much more than in the past, what did that mean for the ongoing conflict with the Grimm?

How would she respond?

Ozpin heard the sound of a ring and immediately turned to take a few steps forward, taking a seat in his chair, then positioning himself so that he sat squarely in the middle of his desk before answering the call.

"James. Leonardo." He spoke with an air of familiarity. "I know that both of you are pressed for time, so I won't be long."

_"We ought to think this matter over carefully."_ Leonardo said. _"After all, our dealings with Mister Stark have brought him very close to the truth."_

_"Yes, I think it's best that we take whatever time we need to sort this out now."_ James nodded his head. _"After all, it's not every day that we induct a member into this brotherhood with so many skills."_

"Indeed." Ozpin pulled up the full file of the subject in question. "Anthony Edward Stark. I've sent you all the files regarding everything I know about the man, but I wanted to get your opinions about him in full and see if our viewpoints are aligned."

_"Then I'll start."_ James didn't miss a beat. _"Mister Stark has a myriad of characteristics. On one hand, he certainly does present himself as a very professional and cunning businessman. I daresay that he surpasses even Jacque Schnee in terms of overall potential."_

If the rapid growth of Stark Industries was any indicator, it was clear that there was no stopping the snowball that was descending down the hill. Who knew how massive it would grow, but it seemed clear that there was no stopping it.

_"As for what he brings to the table, there's no doubting his ability to deal massive damage."_ James wasn't one to offer praise like this so easily._ "After reviewing all his work, I can say with certainty that this man will usher in a new era for the military. What I am concerned about is his tendency to let his ego get the better of him."_

_"Agreed. I won't discredit Mister Stark for his work, but there are concerns regarding whether or not he is capable of keeping secrets, especially given that he is rather bombastic in how he presents himself."_ Leonardo followed up. _"Also, I feel it prudent to bring up his ability to work with others."_

"I understand all of your concerns, but I do believe that you underestimate him." Ozpin folded his hands together. "Tony is many things, but stupid is not one of them, far from it. If he understands the gravity of what we do, I am quite certain that he will keep what we do here in the dark. After all, he does have many secrets that he keeps to himself."

As a man who knew too many things about this world, the headmaster of Beacon Academy knew what to look for when figuring out if a person was keeping or withholding information. The Stark kid had one big secret, but he already knew that one, so the important secrets left to keep were related to his inventions.

_"I'm not sure he would even want to join us even if we offered him."_ James moved the discussion forward. _"Stark is a big fan of doing as he pleases. Yes, he can work with others in a very professional manner, but he only does so when it suits his goals and ambitions."_

_"Quite. I can see that he has numerous things on his mind constantly."_ Leonardo offered more input. _"His talk of outfitting huntsmen and huntresses with top-tier weapons made it clear that no matter what, his primary focus is in matters relating to conflict."_

War profiteering. Two words that generally had a negative connotation to them, but belied the more bleak truth about the world. Talking about peace was all well and good, but most people in the world had little idea the lengths that the defenders of the world had to go through in order to maintain over half a century of no conflict.

Contrary to popular belief, being a warrior on Remnant was arguably the hardest job in all of the world. Soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and huntsmen, all of them had the largely thankless job of protecting people who were almost entirely disconnected from the harsh realities of the world outside the safety of the walled kingdoms. Yes, the Grimm were the main enemies of all humans and the faunus, but they weren't the only threats.

Tony Stark seemed to understand perfectly well who he was and what his business did. He either didn't care about the consequence or didn't see them, maybe both if his personality was anything to go by. In any case, his work was morally grey, yet an inevitable fact of life in a world defined by a bloody struggle for survival.

"He may not want to be one of us, but I think that given the way things stand, he will be compelled to at least be partially involved." Ozpin took a sip from his mug. "After all, he is a businessman and he can't very well do business if there's no one to do business with."

They had to rely on faith that Mister Stark was someone who wanted people to live so that he could continue to do what he wanted. After all, no matter how wealthy and powerful a single man could get, those things only mattered when there was a society to judge him that way, so the weapons developer was more or less in the game of life and death whether he wanted to be or not.

_"It sounds like we've already come to our decision."_ James summed up what they were all thinking. _"And despite all of our reservations, we still all seem to agree."_

_ "It's better that we do what we can now so that we're not caught with our pants down later."_ Leonardo voiced another shared sentiment. _"It's been awfully quiet all around us and that quiet is what scares me the most."_

It was true. She was quiet.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Vale**

**Downtown**

**June 30th, 56 AGW**

Tony had been recently visiting all the local bars that he could find in order to discern which ones were to his liking. Tonight, he stumbled into this place that he didn't even bother checking the name of. It was busy and he was curious to see whether or not there was some hot tail he could pick up. Scratch that, there was plenty of hot tail he would definitely get a shot at. He was himself after all.

So the young man settled himself at the bar and ordered a scotch for himself. After the drink was brought to him, he began to peruse the sights all around him. There were many women here. Tall, short, petite, curvacious, human, faunus, pretty much everything that he could remember from Earth minus the last one, but it was pretty cool new addition. This place catered to everyone regardless of species, so there was that as well.

Every time he met a woman's eyes, he gave only five seconds of eye contact before turning his head away from them. This was just one of his many ways of showing that while he did appreciate good looks, he needed more incentive than a pretty face. Beauty wasn't all that hard to find and he did realize how that sounded coming from him, but it was true. There was plenty of beauty to be had in the world, so there was something else that needed to happen, something to really kickstart a spark.

It was then that he noticed someone dancing on the floor. At first, he couldn't make out her entire figure given the lighting of the place, but then the lights came flashing on, just enough time for him to see her features.

Raven-black hair that just barely reached the base of her neck, large black cat ears, golden eyes, nice proportions, but that look on her face was clearly that of a girl having a good time.

She was a total looker, no arguments there, but for some reason, a thought clicked in his mind.

_Looks like I've got your date, Ghira._ Tony recalled their bet. _Now let the matchmaking begin._

Pushing himself off the bar and getting his game face on, he began casually making his way through the crowd, looking like he wasn't searching for anyone in particular all the while keeping his friend's date in sight. Thankfully, this crowd was manageable to deal with and he was quick to get to her.

Once he was within a foot away from her, he initiated.

"Nice moves." Tony casually complimented her. "You must dance often."

She swirled around to meet him. When she met his brown eyes, he could tell that her interest in him was there.

"I do love getting out." A pretty smile was on display. "What about you? Are you any good?"

"Eh, every other Tuesday." Tony shrugged while turning his head lightly to his right. "But I supposed I could make an exception."

"An exception?" She moved closer to him. "Well, then, you can call this exception Kali."

"Kali." Tony tested that name. "Cute. The name's Tony."

Okay, so maybe this was kind of fun for himself, but he needed to remember why he was here. This was not a date for him. This was a date for a buddy.

He just had to hope that this one dance didn't completely screw this up.

* * *

**Robert Downey Jr. sounds the same when he first rose to prominance in acting when comparing him to now. If I never knew what he looked like and I listened to his voice when he was younger, I would have assumed he was much older. Younger RDJ definitely looks more boyish, but still no less attractive.**

**As I write this story, it's becoming more and more clear to me that while Tony Stark/Iron Man is arguably most interesting character in the MCU, I find myself aspiring to be more like Steve Rogers/Captain America. In reality, only a few people can manage to pull off the sort of attitude that Tony Stark displays yet still be loved. By contrast, Steve Rogers is an ideal that anyone can aspire to be like him, not a perfect soldier, but a good man.**

**I still think Tony is awesome 3000.**

**This chapter was intended to hint at several key plot points that will be critical to the direction of this story. It's not time for all of you to guess what they are. I look forward to people seeing what might happen.**

**Reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated.**


	11. I'M NO GOOD AT FEELINGS

**CHAPTER 11: I'M NO GOOD AT FEELINGS**

**Remnant, System Unknown**

** City of Vale**

** Stark Residence**

** July 4th, 56 AGW**

Today was Independence Day and normally, such a day would be commemorated to celebrate the good old United States of America. Truthfully, this was usually a day to just throw a big party and sleep with a chick or two. Actually, it wasn't just holidays that were to be celebrated. Finding an excuse to party whenever was just the norm.

Unfortunately, Tony didn't think that him celebrating his home country by being all patriotic was going to make sense to anyone at all. Frankly speaking, even if he could somehow make this day a holiday, it wouldn't make sense in the context of this world and its history. For almost as long as recorded history, four kingdoms had existed in the world in one form or another. There were no empires losing colonies and certainly no movements for independence like back on Earth.

The only way he could celebrate was to do so in his head, so he went out to some random night club with loud music and booze all around. He danced for a bit, then took two girls home with him. Both of them were Faunus and naturally, he was curious about whether or not certain animal traits might enhance the experience. Suffice it to say, there were ups and downs with having additional features, but it was an overall enjoyable experience. He handled them pretty well for being out of practice ever since coming to Remnant. That had been just what the doctor ordered.

Then he suavely ushered them out, never to see their faces or remember their names again. That's just how nice he was.

Back to business, he was already in the process of designing some new missiles exclusively for Atlas. Negotiations had gone faster than planned and right now, the northernmost kingdom was awaiting the first prototype to be designed and test-fired before any official manufacturing could take place. That all fell on his shoulders and he took to his work like a fish in water.

For this design, Atlas had specified that they were looking for a guided missile system that would be able to work on both land and in the air. The reason for their versatility was due to their fleet often travelling all around the world to various bases located all across Remnant. Many of their current weapon systems were reaching their time of decommission or obsolescence, hence the rush for a replacement weapons array, one that could hopefully carry them into the future twenty to fifty years or so.

Tony had gone to the drawing board to begin sketching out rough ideas. When comparing this new missile to the Jaeger I, he was going for more Earth-based systems and design concepts rather than using what he could find on Remnant. The only thing that would be used from this world would be dust. As primitive as the substance was, its effectiveness couldn't be denied. The numerous elemental properties at his disposal opened up the door to many devastating combative possibilities.

The decision to keep using dust was logical. If he was to introduce new methods of powering all technology, he would need to show everyone that he had mastered the most important substance on Remnant.

Getting back on track, the genius chose to experiment with a completely different fundamental effect than the Jaeger I. Instead of using dust to specifically target Grimm and kill them, he would now be making use of gravity dust to root out ground-based species in order for military forces to individually destroy high-value or dangerous targets. Basically, deprive the Grimm of their gravity and they would be easy as pie to pick off by conventional forces.

This radical idea sprouted from Tony's idea of how Atlas conducted themselves in war. The kingdom of snow and ice really fancied themselves as masters of technology and whatnot. It was to the point where their arrogance showed so clearly on everything related to them. While there were no clear blatant displays of haughtiness, it was clear as day that Atlesians thought themselves better than most people. In a way, introducing something completely out of left field would maybe force Atlas to see that maybe it wasn't the best at what it did. There was more than one way to kill.

But the young Stark would be a fool not to prepare some other options in the event that his first idea didn't work.

His next missile idea was purely Earth-based, containing absolutely nothing in the way of Remnant technology, not even dust. Taking a page from the inventor of shrapnel rounds, he had designed an anti-personnel missile, designed for short range. The effects of shrapnel on a person were gruesome and there was nothing saying that the same couldn't be done on a Grimm. Because this one wasn't coded strictly to kill Grimm, the repercussions of manufacturing this weapon for Atlas came with it pros and cons to weigh, something he would consider as time went on.

Tony wasn't concerned about the morality aspect of any of this. As far as he was concerned, he was ahead of the entire world. Sooner or later, the Grimm were going to puff out into many clouds of black dust and smoke. That was just what he was going to do as long as he kept doing what he did. What came after would be more interesting. A world where the most dangerous thing was another person rather than monsters would give him a playing field that he could monopolize on.

However, this assumed that he wouldn't be faced with others who were thinking the same. Although all the facts pointed to a competitor being a near-zero possibility, he couldn't forget that war wasn't all that impossible between the kingdoms. While nations needing means of defending and attacking was all well and good, he couldn't just up and give out this stuff to the big boys willy nilly.

The inventor planned out many different scenarios mentally. He couldn't realistically expect Vaccuo to have much need of his weapons seeing as their way of life more or less did away with government. Therefore, he was down to three kingdoms that would have a need for weapons of mass destruction. Out of the main three, Atlas had the greatest desire to fuel their war machine. Vale's deal with Stark Industries was based around their need to shore up their own defenses in the event of conflict seeing as their entire military was long overdue for an overhaul. As for Mistral, that remained to be seen.

Another factor to account for was catering to huntsmen and huntresses. Because of the importance of these Grimm killers, it would be foolish not to make use of his business on their kind, but the monetary gain from this group was limited; what was more important than the lien to be earned were the connections that he could establish. If he could sell successfully to many huntsmen and huntresses, he would gain their trust and loyalty. Both would go a long way to enhancing his already-growing network of people.

And speaking about people he knew, it was about time to have another visit with that bastard Jack Frost. Tony had selected to name the SDC as such because he kind of was a bastard. Behind that charming smile and that silver tongue was a guy who was looking for the upper hand in any situation. Jacque Schnee was probably such a scumbag that he would sell out his own mother if he had one, which he didn't thankfully.

But there were plenty of other people he could visit in the meanting.

Jolly old St. Nick was pretty sprightly for an old timer. He might not be involved in the family business, but the Schnee patriarch was not one to be taken lightly.

And there was Snow White. He knew that he had her in the palm of his hands. A little more time and… well, he would have to tread carefully when it came to forbidden fruit.

Tin Man was cool too. He was kind of like Rhodey except more high-strung and kind of controlling. That was just intuition speaking, but it might not be that far off.

And Doctor Polendina. He didn't have a nickname for his fellow scientist, but that would come with time. Maybe since they were both pioneering A.I. development, Gepeto would work.

Tony grabbed his custom-made Stark Industries mug and took a swig of his coffee. It was still warm, which meant that he was still cognizant of his surroundings. That meant he hadn't delved so deep into his work that he locked out the real world, which was either good or bad depending upon what was going on at the time.

He let his pencil come to a rest and he carefully examined the first draft of his latest invention. It wasn't anything ground-breaking, but it would serve its purpose well enough once he ran some tests and simulations.

Standing up, he began to do some light exercises to get his blood moving. He would be here for a while.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Atlas**

**Schnee Manor**

**July 7th, 56 AGW**

Whenever she wasn't in the gardens pondering, Willow often wandered the halls of the mansion, doing nothing in particular. Whatever could be used to satisfy her boredom was fair game. For her, life was simple; all she existed for was to look pretty and proper and sooner or later, children were going to start showing up. If they didn't, then it would only be a matter of time before things got complicated in the social circle.

But for now, Jacque was far too invested in making the SDC into a powerhouse that he often seemed to think of children as a secondary objective, something to do once the more important things in life were accomplished and maintained. She wasn't about to say or do anything to contradict him. After all, he knew what he was doing.

That being said, Willow wondered for how long she could keep thinking about the lessons she took growing up that taught her how to be a proper lady. She wondered how many times knowing how to curtsey, how to respond with polite and measured words would matter with time. She wondered how those lessons with the violin and piano were even worth anything in light of how much she stayed at home.

But no matter how much she felt the need to voice these tiresome aspects of her life, she would hold her peace. She was taught to never be vocal about things she disliked in life. There were a great deal many unpleasant things that could spring up without warning and without hesitation. If she complained about everything, big or small, she would be seen as little more than a spoiled child, which would lead her to being treated accordingly. She would at least retain her pride and dignity if nothing else.

And so the only daughter of Nicholas Schnee mentally sighed to herself as she continued down the quiet and serene hallways. Occasionally, she would pass by a servant who would bow their head in an expected greeting of one of the esteemed residents of the house and she would slightly nod her head, another holdover from her lessons as a teenager.

The former heiress passed by the conference room, sparing an ear to see if there was anything of importance going on and hearing nothing going on, so she continued to the library. Perhaps a book or two would help ease her mind.

A few minutes later, she quietly slipped her way into the library filled with books that may or may not have ever been read. Wealthy people did not always partake in the items that they purchased.

Willow took one look around and she lightly gasped, placing her hand over her mouth in surprise.

There he was, casually reading one of the books as if he owned this place. He looked to be deeply absorbed in the contents held in his hands.

Now would be a good time to leave. She would come back later, and so she attempted to make a silent exit.

"Is my company really that bad, Snow White?" Tony's voice spoke to her. "What's the rush? Relax, this is your home, after all."

"...Mister Stark, this is an unexpected surprise." Willow reluctantly turned to face him and did a customary curtsey. "I presume your dealings with Jacque have brought you here?"

"If you're trying to say that I've got business here, then yes." Tony didn't look up from what he was reading. "We had a lot to talk about and we still , I can't disclose the details. It's all top-secret stuff, real hush-hush."

"So I see." Willow answered, watching him as he scanned pages. "If I might ask, what do you have in your hands?"

"A little something analysing on how dust has affected civilization." Tony turned the page. "It's amazing how a single substance can lift Mankind up from the dirt. It really makes you wonder what would have happened if we didn't have dust."

"Well, civilization as we know it would have collapsed long ago." Willow knew that much if her knowledge of history was anything to go by. "It goes without saying that dust is the only reason that any of us are alive."

"I wonder about that." Tony closed the book and placed it on the shelf. "It's amazing what a few small changes can do for the world."

She had no clue what this man was going on about, but she did comprehend that he wasn't merely throwing out words in a chasm. There was a method to how he operated, but she didn't possess the intelligence to dissect what he was really thinking about and she was certainly not about to pretend that she understood what he was thinking.

Yet she couldn't deny that there was something about him that compelled her to want to venture further. Call it misplaced curiosity or her brain wanting to find some way out of the monotony that was her life. She took a few steps forward, closing some of the distance between them.

"From the way you're speaking, you sound like you have a grand plan in mind." Willow Schnee chose to venture a guess. "Or am I wrong?"

"A grand plan?" Tony mirrored her words, yet he didn't seem all that phased by it. "Who can say? I can't speak to changing the world for the better, but I know exactly who I am and what I do for my money. I sell weapons so that Mankind and the Faunus die less than the Grimm, simple as that."

She knew that he was lying, at least not in some respect. It was true that Stark Industries was listed as a weapons manufacturer and this bold admission to what he did was all factual, but there seemed to be something he didn't intend to speak about. Naturally, it was in a CEO's best interest to never reveal all of his hardships, but the Schnee lady couldn't help but wonder even more what else was on his agenda.

"Enough about me, Snow White." Tony closed the gap between them some more. "How are things? How's the old man? Jack Frost?"

"My father is well all things considered." Willow raised an eyebrow while addressing the man in front of her. "As for Jacque, he's busy, but you already knew that."

"Hmm." Tony looked her in the eye. "I'll have to check up on him, make sure he's doing his work. I don't trust a man that has no leisure activities in his life."

"As far as I know, Jacque doesn't possess hobbies." Willow really didn't. "He spends most of his time working or attending the various social gatherings that are hosted all around Atlas."

"Wow. Sounds exhausting." Tony looked to his right. "Well, it's not like I'm doing much better. When you're trying to take over the world, you can't really afford to sit back and take a few days off."

"I'm sorry?" Willow wanted to make sure that she wasn't mishearing. "Take over the world."

"Oh, don't me." Tony resumed his attention back on her. "Just the ramblings of a man who's going on less than four hours of sleep a night. Did you know that it takes four hours of sleep for a person to be functional and sane?"

"Not that exact number, but I understand the importance of sleep." Willow was confused as to where this conversation was going. "It seems that you and Jacque have another thing in common, being workaholics."

"What can I say?" Tony grinned slightly. "I'm burdened with a noble and terrible purpose: putting down monsters that won't stay down Basically, I kill things and then I sit in the sun and feel good about doing it. Now that is real work."

With his description, she couldn't help but let her mind picture it. The more she thought about it, the more absurd the image became. Juxtaposing the rather bleak nature of warfare with the image of the inventor sitting on a pool chair sipping on a drink was far too much for her to take with a calm attitude.

She couldn't help the smile and light laugh that escaped from her professional demeanor.

"A noble and terrible purpose indeed." Willow managed some words. "I can only imagine it."

"Then allow me to work your imagination a little more." Tony glanced at the nearby seats. "This might be a while, so you should have a seat, take a load off."

As she settled to see what he was going to talk about next, she never realized that the previous boredom she had been wrestling with had ceased to be a conscious thought in her mind. She was far too absorbed into this strange, yet entertaining conversation. She could almost forget that Mister Stark was a businessman looking to make lien with her husband. Right now, he was just a man with a way with words.

Willow Schnee began to lose her mask of politeness in favor of expressions that matched the feelings that she was feeling internally.

* * *

**RWBY - - - Iron Man**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**Kingdom of Atlas**

**Schnee Manor**

**July 7th, 56 AGW**

Nicholas Schnee had done many things in his life, many of which he was proud of. Perhaps his most important accomplishment of all was creating the Schnee Dust Company. For the people of Atlas and the entirety of Remnant, it was a symbol of trust, reliability, and quality. It was the best of what dust could be and with time, it would only get better, at least that's what he hoped would happen.

However noble and spectacular his purpose in life, the old man knew that he couldn't sustain that momentum forever. However in-shape he was and no matter how much time he spent honing not only his mind but his body, eventually, time would win out and he could no longer do the work he was once was capable of, but he didn't want all of his work to come crashing down. That was why he had been careful in selecting his successor.

Willow was far from capable of becoming the next head of the SDC. She simply lacked the drive and the passion to do so. She was a true lady to the core, soft and gentle, something that didn't mesh well in big business. That was why he had chosen Jacque Gele to marry his only daughter and continue his legacy and so far, the man was doing exactly as he had promised. The company was growing even more, becoming more profitable, and effectively beating out much of the competition.

If things had gone according to what was predicted, then there wouldn't be much to think about, but lately, there had been some massive shifts, something that would be hard to ignore.

The Schnee Dust Company's latest partner, Stark Industries had come out of nowhere and made a name for itself despite its small and humble beginnings, something that Nicholas could understand and respect, but even he found it amazing the level of progress that was achieved in the span of less than a few months, but then again when taking into account the primary focus of the weapons manufacturer, it sort of made sense.

Whether people cared to acknowledge it or not, the Grimm were a major problem in the world. The peace that most people enjoyed was thanks to the efforts of the militaries and huntsmen all across the world and both relied on the availability of dust, the one and only substance that had allowed any form of civilization to thrive. With Stark Industries, the balance between the militaries and and huntsmen could be shifted to favor the former over the latter.

By itself, there was nothing wrong with that. Having armed forces all across Remnant be better prepared for conflict against the Grimm, big or small, would prove to be a boon for all of Mankind as a whole. For as long as memory served, many had dreamed of a world where they would no longer have to fear death from the monsters that plagued them all. Now, there just might be a way for that dream to be made into a reality.

But for every intended effect, there was always an unintended effect. Huntsmen prided themselves on being elite warriors whose skills and talents were heavily relied upon. If the kingdoms were to shift their focus into building stronger militaries, there was a small yet very real possibility of huntsmen becoming less valuable, maybe even obsolete if Stark Industries became more globally accepted. Although this was merely a thought exercise, Nicholas believed in his gut that it was quite possible.

In the interest of getting a better idea as to how much of a chance that the weapons manufacturer had of making such a drastic change to Remnant, the former SDC head had been participating in discussions with Jacque and Mister Stark. Often times, he simply sat and listened to them exchange words.

Such as right now.

Obviously, the Schnee Dust Company had far more on the table when it came to resources and influence, but Stark Industries offered both inventive and innovative ideas, something that anyone with a working brain would be a fool not to see. The primary motivation for one of the most valuable companies in the world to support a newcomer was simple; both Nicholas and Jacque were in agreement that should their latest partner see massive success like the numbers seemed to be telling them, then they would no doubt have yet another thing to brag about to the public.

Mister Stark appeared to be fully aware of this himself and yet he didn't seem the least bit bothered by it. Actually, it felt like during all of their discussions, he looked completely unphased by anything thrown at him, even things with the intent, hidden or blatant, to show that he was not the one in power. In the face of a superior entity, he was amazingly calm and collected. Either he had nerves or he did well to hide whatever fears he possessed. Either way, they clearly weren't dealing with a man who just happened to get lucky.

"I'm sure you're already aware of this, but I've just finished securing a deal with the Atlesian Council." Tony looked his opposite in the eye. "That means that within the next two to three years, I'll be aiming to open an additional facility here along with the necessary staff. This way, we can begin to work exclusively on Atlas-specific weapons."

"It will certainly expedite the process immensely." Jacque nodded. "Although I do have one question regarding the weapon you intend to build for our kingdom. How long is its intended operational life?"

"Twenty years according to my calculations." Tony addressed. "But by that point, I'll have already begun developing the next generation. Everything I'm building now is what I liked to call the Mark I generation. Given that I'm not working at my full potential, It will take at least ten years for the Mark I system to have effectively run its course before I consider a new phase."

"I see." Jacque casually observed his scroll screen. "And in that time frame, you intend for your dust numbers to become more efficient with time."

"Preliminary calculations have me using more dust due to my lack of access to technology that could make my operations more efficient." Tony pointed out. "With time, I will perfect the technique of using less dust and getting more power out of it. Of course, when that time comes, the sheer volume that I'm aiming for will compensate for this efficiency. That and specialized weaponry with high concentrations will more than likely keep us buddy-buddy for some time."

"Indeed." Jacque nodded his head in satisfaction. "If it all possible, I would very much like to see the prototype you're making for our military forces before it is presented to the general officers."

"I'm afraid that my clients anticipated this request from you and I have to respect their wishes not to speak of the matter." Tony crossed his arms. "It's all written in a formal written contract and signed by all parties involved."

"A shame." Jacque frowned, but kept himself reigned in. "In any case, I look forward to what will be coming in the future."

"We all do, I'm sure." Tony offered a hand. "Here's to many years of mutual benefit."

Nicholas remained silent for this entire dialogue, but what had been said here was far more revealing than the surface-level meaning would suggest. It seemed that Stark Industries was looking to a future decades ahead of everyone else. That much the SDC founder could deduce because he understood what it meant to have a vision of the next half century and even further.

Back when he first founded the company of his namesake, he had done so with a not just a goal, but a vision. He looked into numerous possibilities and filtered out what wouldn't fulfill his ideal path forward. He knew a raw deal when he saw one and from where he was standing, Mister Stark seemed to be receiving far less than Jacque was. This could look like the SDC setting itself up to be the parent company of a startup.

That would be too easy, Nicholas realized and it would be foolish to think that a man who could single handedly build weapons and run a company from near ground zero was a fool. Luck was a wonderful thing, but all luck ran out eventually, leaving only an individual's own personal skills and talents.

The logical course of action was to just continue on. No amount of worrying was going to help discern the exact details of the future. They would have to play their cards carefully, keeping some secrets in reserve.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**City of Vale**

**Downtown**

**July 10th, 56 AGW**

Ghira wasn't sure what was going to happen on this date that was being set up by Tony, but he knew that he had mixed feelings on the matter.

On one hand, it would be interesting to get back into the dating game and see if there was something there for him. While the idea of marriage and a family was something he had thought about before, it wasn't anything that he pondered too deeply. He figured that it would happen some time in the future and he would know when it was the perfect time to settle down and raise a family.

On the other hand, there was the matter of what he was doing now and how that could affect any romantic relationship that he had. After all, being a part of the White Fang was dangerous work and he didn't want to burden a woman with the thought of him being hurt or harmed in any way. Should he have a relationship while still being a part of the Fang, he would need to make sure that his partner was tough and resilient.

Weighing the pros and cons was an exercise in futility seeing as he had already agreed to go on this blind date and had made his own personal preparations. The location and event had already been decided by Tony. All he had to do was show up.

So here he was, standing tall, clean, and shaven. A good look would go a long way to making a good first impression and he knew a thing or two about making impressions from all of the work he did.

Opposite of him was his date and upon first seeing her, he immediately noted that she was a Faunus with her ears shown on full display with not a look of fear. She must be very brave to display her traits. While Vale was known for being one of the more tolerant kingdoms in the world, it was imperfect. Regardless, he could respect her courage.

It was kind of surprising that she was a faunus with feline traits, the same as him. Even more amazing a coincidence was that her hair was raven-black like his own and her eyes were a golden yellow. What were the chances of finding a fellow faunus of the opposite sex with all these similiar features?

"Alright, kids." Tony gently pushed them together. "Introduce yourselves and shake hands."

"Hello." Ghira was ever the gentleman as he offered a handshake. "I'm Ghira Belladonna. It's nice to meet you."

"Kali Bellerose." She smiled with pearly-white teeth. "Likewise."

Her tone sounded somewhere between young and mature, although from her appearance, it would seem that she was quite a lively young woman. She didn't look nervous or appear uninterested in this affair. That would make this date go more smoothly.

"So, you two, I've booked a reservation at this upper-class establishment, hence why I asked you to both dress nicely." Tony began explaining the specifics. "I will be footing the entire tab, so go wild with food and drinks. I'd be mad if you two didn't."

Never a dull day with Tony Stark.

* * *

**I do a little segment with Kali for fun and you guys jump the conclusion that Tony's just going to sleep with her. I know you guys can get a little crazy with shipping, but I would advise you to tone it down. Just because Mister Stark speaks with a woman doesn't instantly mean he's going to become involved with her.**

**I may have said this before, but breaking up Ghira and Kali feels wrong because they're the only two parents of RWBY who either aren't dead or live in some sort of dysfunctional manner. Basically, what I'm saying is that complete and happy families are a good thing. So many shows in anime or shows influenced by anime have this infamous trend of families that are either never shown or incomplete. That's actually not a good thing for child development.**

**And don't forget that Blake was NOT one of the four voted children if Iron Man that YOU ALL voted for, so keep that in mind as well.**

**Anyway, moving on.**

**Recently, I've become busier of my own accord. That leaves me very strapped for time when it comes to writing and honestly, it looks to me like it's only going to get more busy. I don't know if this'll affect my ability to write, but if it does, you'll all know once I'm sure of a few things.**

**Feedback and reviews are appreciated as always.**

**Thanks for reading.**

_**"Shoot for the moon and if you miss, you will still be among the stars."**_

**Les Brown**


	12. A CHEAP SECRET

**CHAPTER 12: A CHEAP SECRET**

**Remnant, System Unknown**

**City of Vale**

**Stark Residence**

**July 18th, 56 AGW**

Tony knew that this would happen sooner or later and up until this point, he hadn't given much thought to it, but now he decided to take a look at it on a whim. He didn't think that it mattered all that much, but he was curious.

As the first CEO of this world's Stark Industries, he was bound to get some attention and his actions were going to be observed by the media and by society at large. That was just the life he led. Additionally, some of his more personal actions were going to be scrutinized and even criticized by everyone, especially his playboy habits. Basically, everyone was going to be measuring him by normal standards, but it hardly made any sense to measure a man like himself by conventional means.

Still, public perception of him was important in a way because it could directly affect how he conducted business and who would do so. Certainly most business partners knew to keep professional and personal lives separate, but there was always going to be that one CEO that would refuse him on account of the things he did outside the board rooms. It could be an unimportant potential partner or it could not be. In any case, he needed to play the game very carefully.

Tony had been skimming through some newspapers regarding himself and the one thing that was unsurprising was how much the media was looking into his history. It made sense for them to do so. His rapid success, though not unheard of, was highly unusual, hence the many news outlets trying to get whatever information they could on him. For now, he wasn't concerned about them getting something they shouldn't. He had ways of keeping secrets and one one person knew the full truth.

In the event that people started suspecting his origins, he would have to start making bribes and deals under the table. It wasn't something that particularly appealed to him, but he did have to keep his priorities in order. It was all well and good for him to be as squeaky-clean as possible when it came to doing business, but he had his bottom lines to fulfill not to mention his other ambitions. Being the nice guy didn't mean much in a world of fierce competition, even if common knowledge said otherwise.

On a side note, he would need to make certain that there weren't people who were going to be spying on the inside of his company in order to obtain information about what was going on in here. None of what he was doing was illegal, but when it came to his most highly-prized assets, be they physical or otherwise, he didn't want anyone to get a hold of them yet. If he didn't introduce new technology the right way, it could have disastrous consequences. For this reason, they weren't even open ideas yet.

Tony would have to talk more with his current staff regarding how to proceed forward, but he didn't anticipate serious problems on that front.

Moving on, the genius had already begun drafting up a plan regarding expansion and opening up headquarters in all of the kingdoms. Although he was years off from being able to implement this plan, his reasoning for thinking ahead about this was simple. While the main headquarters for Stark Industries was located in Vale, his reach was going to extend to all parts of this world. Just one headquarter was going to leave his choices limited. In order to reach other markets more directly, he needed a palpable presence.

Of course, should his plan go through, he would need to have very qualified people head these branches. Whoever these individuals were, they would need to be on the same wavelength as him. His vision for Remnant all came down to the people who worked for him. While he had a considerable engineering team as well as a pretty good management team, he would need to step up his game to eleven going forward.

Yes, he would even put a headquarter in the sandpit that was Vacuo. Despite his reservations about the "kingdom," there was one thing that it did have that the other kingdoms were lacking: isolation. Vacuo would make an ideal place to house a secret testing facility for all sorts of concepts and ideas that needed to be hidden away from the public eye. It could become Area 51 in a way, a skunk works for Stark Industries to conduct their work away from the prying eyes of the world.

There was one major problem with this little idea. Vacuo was basically the equivalent of the wild west. The people there were rough by nature and lived mostly in small-sized villages, having little respect for any authority of any kind. If Stark Industries was to set up its own facilities for all to see, there was a possibility of people raising a fuss. Business demanded hierarchy and structure and authority, something that the locals would despise by and large.

In order to secure a location in Vacuo, a proper relationship with Shade Academy would be required seeing as the huntsman academy was the only form of authority recognized by the kingdom of sand. Of course, that would be no walk in the park either seeing as the Grimm killers from this institution were of a more aggressive and prideful lot. They would need a lot of convincing enough to accept any sort of proposal from an outsider.

Tony wouldn't bother with Vacuo too much for at least a few years seeing as he had his hand in Vale, Mistral and Atlas already and he didn't have enough hired help he trusted enough to contend with the big issues that he was currently handling.

He really ought to be focusing on making sure that the Yaegers Mark I for the Council of Vale made it through and were of great use. Test runs and simulations were nothing compared to live usage and practical application.

And speaking of business he needed to get done in Vale, Ozpin had called him recently and invited him back to Beacon Academy for the express purpose of revealing something really secretive. The young man suspected that it had something to do with the maidens. Recent calls from the premiere huntsman academy pointed to the magical women being the main source of interesting conversation.

It was easy enough to go in knowing about the almost-confirmed existence of four women with magical power. The next step was determining what exactly these women existed for. More often than not, things had a reason for existing, especially if said things were influenced directly or indirectly by humans.

Tony had wanted to figure out the entire mystery by himself, but his main problem was all of his research amounted to scraps of information that would only get him to the truth partially, which was hardly what he wanted.

The only conceivable way to get everything he wanted in a timely fashion was to go to someone who knew about this stuff on a deeper level and unfortunately, that meant Ozpin and his group.

The CEO weighed his options carefully. If he chose to accept this deal, then he would be further tangling himself up in the Wizard of Oz's business. It wasn't clear what exactly the headmaster was doing, but one thing was clear: the man was trying to recruit pawns in whatever form he could find them in. That didn't sit well with the spirit of the Stark name, which demanded respect and autonomy.

But there would always come a time where pride would ultimately get in the way of what was most logical and as much as he didn't wish to admit it to himself, Tony wanted to know more about all of this. It was more than just his own curiosity at play here. It was potentially a chance to see something truly unique and outside the realm of conventional science. He might be able to glean something that he would never be able to think of otherwise.

It all came down to one question. What was more important? Pride or knowledge? Which did he value more?

The answer ultimately came to him rather quickly. He had discovered the existence of magic accidentally, but now that he had, it was impossible for him to not think about it. He could sense something big coming from all of this and he wanted to be in on the know. While being under Ozpin's thumb was demeaning, it wasn't world-ending when all was said and done. Such a situation could be worked with. It might even have its own advantages.

With a sigh and running a hand through his hair, Mister Stark grabbed his scroll and made a call to the first person he came into contact with upon arriving on Remnant. He was already in deep just by being here and doing what he did best.

He might as well be a supreme daredevil and take it a step further.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Beacon Academy**

**July 25th, 56 AGW**

Ozpin was surprised that Tony had accepted his offer and had come of his own accord. That certainly made matters easier, but it also made him wonder about the inventor's logic. The brilliant young man was one of the most intelligent individuals that he had ever known and people of high intellect often had plenty of time to think about their place in the world and their relationships with their friends and allies.

It might be fair to say that the CEO of Stark Industries was probably well aware that he was about to become part of something that he couldn't easily escape from. Those that had become aware of the Four Maidens had a secret that they would forever keep a secret until they reached their grave. The fairy tale that everyone told to their children was merely the end result of hundred of years of transforming fact into fiction and hopefully, it would stay that way until the Grimm were finally eradicated.

Whether Mister Stark would easily accept something as fantastic and illogical as magic was another story, but in order to facilitate the process, Ozpin was prepared to bring as much proof as was possibly needed. Bringing an actual maiden would be saved for another day. The most available candidate for that purpose would be Fria.

Although she was no longer young, she was still very much capable of engaging in combat and she had decades of experience under her belt. She had mastered the power of the Winter Maiden, making her capable of showing the full extent of power that a maiden was capable of. If that wasn't sufficient proof, then nothing would be.

The headmaster had yet to inform the other members of the brotherhood about his decision to initiate Tony. Of course many of its members were well aware of the fact that the weapons developer was being considered. What they were still unaware of was that their newest candidate was from another world and for the time being, it would remain that way. Who knew what sort of damage could be done if the wrong people knew.

The other thing for Ozpin to contemplate was how his choice here might affect the future ten years down the line, maybe even twenty or thirty years. It was easy to keep track of everyone in his circle because they were all predictable in one manner or another. The same mentality could not be applied to Tony. The rising star had already proven his brazen attitude to life, approaching everything as if it was a challenge. Perhaps the young man thrived on the thrill of danger and exploration. Whatever the case, getting his compliance would be an unstable prospect at best and his ability to keep secrets needed further scrutinization.

The man with many souls glanced at his watch again. Just a few more minutes before the official agreed-upon meeting time would be upon him. He was prepared to deal with whatever came forward.

A familiar chime sounded as the elevator reached the office. A few seconds later, the doors opened to reveal the guest of the hour dressed as if he was going into a serious business meeting, a respectable disposition. The immortal stood in front of his desk and presented himself accordingly.

"Ozpin." Tony offered a handshake. "I was hoping to not see you again for a while."

"But here you are." Ozpin accepted the hand with a firm grip. "So what compelled you to return?"

"Don't play coy with me, man." Tony placed his hand back at his side. "We both know why I'm here. Let's just skip the eloquent speeches and all that and get to the good part. We'd be saving ourselves some time."

"As you wish." Ozpin granted. "Take a seat."

This should have been expected; with everything going on regarding the name Stark, it might have been a miracle that the CEO even had the time to have a one-on-meeting in the first place. Or did his disliking of this place really extend that far?

"I'm sure you've figured out that your meetings with certain individuals weren't just to increase your network of allies." Ozpin started off. "Do you know why that is?"

"I might have an idea or two." Tony casually grabbed his scroll. "Crazy question, but do you think magic is real? Personally, I think it's all total BS. I mean, there's no scientific proof of it existing and yet we've got generations telling kids all about it."

"So you know about them." Ozpin saw no reason to pretend. "The Maidens."

"Yeah, I know about them." Tony leaned in closer. "I also know that you seem to have a particular interest in them and if I can read you as well as I think I can, which I can do extremely well, then I would say you think they're very real."

"Because they are." Ozpin replied in kind. "But however unfounded and unrealistic it is, magic does exist and so too do the Maidens that possess such power."

"So what's the point of them?" Tony moved the conversation along. "Nothing against four badass women with some sweet kickass power, but why bother? I mean, their purpose just seems pointless to begin with."

"They're guardians." Ozpin decided on a truth that omitted some details. "They're the protectors of the world."

"So are huntsmen," Tony clearly wasn't satisfied. "More power never hurts a guy and I get that, but there's more to it. There has to be, otherwise what's stopping bad guys from trying to get the power for themselves? Or is it bad girls? That sounds kind of hot."

"...only women can inherit the power of a Maiden." Ozpin clarified, ignoring that last part. "And to answer your question, their purpose isn't just to fight, although it is one of their main reasons."

It would undoubtedly be much easier to just do away with the very long segway and just cut to the chase, but this wasn't information to be revealed lightly, although it appeared that the businessman wasn't leaving this place until his questions were answered. That was the attitude on display here.

"Then what are they for?" Tony sat up and made direct eye contact. "If they are guardians as you said, then they must be watching over some really valuable."

"More valuable than anything this world knows about." Ozpin interlocked his fingers together. "The power granted to each other gives them access to a vault underneath each of the found huntsman academies. Inside these vaults are artifacts created by the gods that once lived on this world."

"Now the Brother Gods exist?" Tony shook his head. "Jesus Christ, this is turning into some really cheesy fantasy story. What next? Are there lizard men? Minataurs? Maybe Alice in Wonderland?"

"Movie references?" Ozpin took a guess.

"Just that last one. Those other ones are mythological creatures, but you already knew that." Tony looked down at his scroll. "So suppose I believe you. What are these artifacts and what do they do?"

"They create the fundamental rules of this world." Ozpin laid out. "Creation, Destruction, Knowledge, and Choice. These are the four unknown fundamentals that all of Mankind has followed from the moment that the first human came into the world."

That statement was partially misleading, but that wasn't important at this juncture. All that mattered was explaining everything related to the Maidens and nothing more. Take backs were no longer an option.

"So let me get this straight." Tony looked very skeptical. "Four women with magical power have access to the very items that dictate how people live in this world?"

"That is correct." Ozpin affirmed. "You seem disappointed."

"Oh, I'm disappointed, all right." Tony looked to his side. "I'm also amazed at the sheer stupidity of it all. Actually, scratch that, I don't even know how much of this is believable in the first place. You could be pulling one over me."

"I have nothing to gain by blindsiding you." Ozpin retorted calmly. "Besides, If I wanted to manipulate you, I would have already done so."

"What a funny thing to say, you sly dog." Tony snorted as he turned his head back. "What are you doing if not trying to manipulate me into your chess game? For that matter, what about the students that come and go from this academy? You've basically turned the huntsman academies into impenetrable fortresses with all the kids acting as unknowing bodyguards. That is, IF your story is true."

"You make it sound like I am some evil mastermind." Ozpin didn't appreciate the implication, but remained calm. "These students are doing exactly what they came here hoping to do. Their presence simply acts as a deterrent for would-be attackers."

"And the Maidens?" Tony questioned in return. "What if they get compromised? Or lose their power to the enemy."

"The Maidens are ordered to kill anyone who attempts them harm or otherwise attempt to draw out the power." Ozpin stated clearly. "They know what having this power means for them."

"So are you just going to offer me words?" Tony once again looked to the side. "Because all of this means nothing if there's no proof."

* * *

**RWBY - - - Iron Man**

* * *

**Stark Industries Headquarter**

**July 30th, 56 AGW**

Penny was disappointed that at first, Mister Stark wouldn't allow her to start interning for him immediately. As his friend, she felt that she needed to pay back everything he had done for her thus far, otherwise she would feel ungrateful.

His reason for testing her like this was easy to understand, at least from a logical point of view. He wanted to see what she was capable of. Stark Industries demanded individuals who were not only motivated but also able to think creatively and independently. The inventor specifically stated that her being his friend and vice versa wasn't enough. In order to leave out bias, she had to prove worthy of her situation.

The ginger-haired girl understood the reasoning behind it all, but that didn't make it any easier for her to accept. The only reason that she didn't put up an even greater attitude was that for one thing, it wasn't her style and for another, she liked working on technology now that she had been exposed to it. Her growth was phenomenal and even she was amazed at her own progress.

Penny's trials would take place over the next month and each week would test her on knowledge she had learned thus far and how to apply them into a practical setting. Over the course of the week, she would be given material to study as well as guidance from Mister Stark when she needed it. At the end of the week, he would give her some tools and something for her to work on and she would have until the end of the day to solve whatever problem there was.

This week, she was dealing with a circuit-based problem. To be more precise, she was pouring over every detail of a very complex parallel circuit and trying to figure out how to solve each individual failure in the pathways. Electric current was flowing from four of the six paths and it was her job to fix the remaining two. It looked like the devices and resistors were functioning properly, so the natural conclusion was that the wiring itself was faulty.

The green-eyed teenager reached her hand out to carefully unhook the battery from the circuit and then she began inspecting the wiring very closely, looking for any signs of damage or burnt parts. It took her a minute, but she soon found where the wiring had failed. Once she determined the location, she retrieved the proper wiring from a nearby spare parts box and began to work on replacing the wire.

Penny's rhythm was steady yet swift. She had practiced this enough times so that she could do this without having to give much thought to it. Her goal was to be as natural as Tony when it came to working. His movements were instinctual like breathing. She was certain that his level was so high that even the most advanced technology wouldn't so much as phase him. Maybe that was an overestimation of his full capability, but she had seen enough to make her conjure such an image.

Once she had finished replacing the wire, she carefully reattached the battery and brought the circuit to life. After confirming that this part was repaired, she moved onto the next item. Her knowledge of electrical devices was being tested thoroughly. Although none of these fixes could be considered extremely complicated, they were meant to test her in a wide variety of scenarios that she could be facing down the road.

The next problem involved dealing with resistors in a series circuit. One of the devices was inoperable, rendering this particular circuit inactive. Again, she went through the proper motions of removing the battery before getting to work on isolating the trouble device and then replacing it accordingly.

From the corner of her eyes, Penny could see Mister Stark as he oversaw her work. His arms were crossed and his eyes were watching what she did was much focus. She didn't focus on him any more than this. If she broke concentration, he would notice and this was a test after all. Distractions were not advisable.

The girl quietly shifted focus back to her current task. Each step that she had taken so far was leading up to a substantial build that would most likely be a culmination of everything she had done before. He was merely using these smaller tasks as a means of gauging whether or not she was capable of performing under less than ideal conditions.

One thing that she did notice about all of these electrical components was how much of it was not up-to-date technology. Although her history regarding component manufacturing dates was very basic, even she could tell on sight that what she was working with dated back more than a few years.

Furthermore, she was incorporating new components into old systems, not exactly an idea that made sense. It would be better to simply replace the entire system and start from scratch. She had to believe that she was being made to do this for a reason, although she couldn't quite see what that reason was.

Penny temporarily put down the soldering iron she was using in order to rest her hand for a minute. She needed to place some pieces on a motherboard very carefully, a task that was helped by her being able to keep her hands steady. She would have to do this several times before she could install any further components. After all of that was done, she would double-check her work for anything that she could have missed.

"We'll break for lunch." Tony informed her. "For a half-pint, you're not too shabby there."

"Thank you." Penny smiled. "But it's all thanks to you."

"Kid, I just jump started your battery." Tony regarded her with an amused look. "You've been doing more than your fair share of work. It's almost scary how fast you've been learning."

"I'm just really passionate about what you've been teaching me." Penny couldn't explain her exponential growth logically. "That's what I know."

"Passion is all well and good, but there's one undeniable fact about life: we're not all born equal." Tony appeared like that fact pained him. "Some of us have brilliant minds, some of us look good to other people, some of us are tough as nails, the list goes on."

"We might not be born equal, but don't we all deserve a chance?" Penny chimed in with her own opinion. "Isn't that what we're trying to do in society?"

"Equal opportunity doesn't translate into an equal outcome, ginger snap." Tony countered her. "Take dust for example. Lighting, fire, water, wind, all of them are dust and all of them can be used to kill Grimm, but I will say that fire dust doesn't do much good in water. Lightning dust, on the other hand, works like a charm in water."

"I see." Penny understood what he was saying. "But I fail to see why this is relevant to me."

"I'm convinced that you've got a talent for this sort of stuff." Tony explained to her. "Yes, it certainly helps that you've taken to electronics like a fish in water, but at a certain point, willpower runs out and it all comes down to competence and natural aptitude, but you've got all of that, so no worries."

"Oh." Penny took a moment to process his compliment. "Thank you, Tony."

It was strange to see this man acting somewhat normally. From what she could gather about his public persona, he was more flippant, arrogant, and playful. The news outlets certainly painted him that way, but when he talked to her, he seemed nice enough if not a little strange in his language and mannerisms.

"You look like I tried to explain rocket science." Tony chuckled at her tame response. "Actually, I could do that now, but then you'd be really confused."

"Rocket science?" Penny didn't know much about that. "You know about that?"

"Little lady, I'm a weapons developer." Tony patted her on the head. "I'd be out of a job if I didn't know."

That comment gave Penny a question. "What would you do if you weren't a weapons developer?"

"What would I do if I weren't a weapons developer?" Tony looked her in the eye. "Yeah, that's not happening. Weapons are needed to keep the peace and if the day ever comes they aren't, I'll start making bricks and beams for baby hospitals."

"That sounds wonderful!" Penny liked that.

"That was sarcasm." Tony clarified.

"Oh." Penny deflated. "Which part."

"...you know what? Forget that I said that." Tony backtracked in the conversation. "That came out wrong and you don't need to think too much about it."

Her first friend was a confusing man.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Team STRQ Dorm**

"Ugh!" Summer groaned loudly.

"What is it now?" Raven sat across from her team leader, cleaning her weapon.

"I'm so bored." Summer responded, collapsing onto her bed with her legs hanging off the side. "It's Saturday. We should be having fun right now, but then it had to go and rain. Why can't we just go outside anyway?"

"Remember the last time we tried?" Taiyang put down his pencil and turned in his seat. "It took us three to clean the mess we made after tracking in so much mud."

"And the fact that Summer was so grumpy about her style getting cramped that she took it out on those assholes on Team FRBD."

"Hey, those guys had it coming!" Summer pouted. "It's not my fault that they couldn't keep their traps shut!"

"Let's not forget that we all got detention because of that little fight." Taiyang reminded his white-clad teammate. "We spent a week doing file maintenance in the library."

"I begged the teachers for a less strict punishment." Summer lamented that time. "I was just… less than successful."

"Remind me why this girl is our team leader?" Raven had resumed work on her weapon, but was still involved in the dialogue. "It's like Ozpin made her team leader just so that he could drive the rest of us insane."

"With Oz, who can say?" Qrow shrugged his shoulders. "He has his reasons."

"I'd like to hear some of those reasons." Taiyang threw in his two cents. "The more I hear that guy, the less I understand."

Someone's scroll buzzed indicating that a message had been received. The silver-eyed warrior once again groaned before lazily reaching for her device before holding it above her head to see who had contacted her. Once she saw the number and the name, she instantly rose and stood up from her bed.

"It must be from Stark." Raven took a guess as to who had messaged. "Who else gets the weapon maniac this excited?"

"That man really has her wrapped around his finger." Taiyang shook his head in amazement. "And he probably knows it too."

"Sly bastard." Qrow mumbled in agreement.

"Shush!" Summer silenced everyone. "I can't miss a single word of this!"

Another ten seconds of quiet filled the room as the fangirl carefully read through the text message sent to her. It looked like he was expected to begin the second wave of testing on some new experimental dust combinations and he was ready to collect their data in regards to their tests.

"More testing!" Summer hummed in excitement. "More killing stuff!"

Taiyang laughed nervously. "Should we be worried?"

"I wouldn't be." Raven wasn't the least bit concerned. "It's just a phase. It'll pass."

The white-cloaked leader of Team STRQ ignored the jab being made at her, only concentrating on what Mister Stark had sent her. It seemed like their relationship with the man wasn't over by a long shot.

That made her really happy.

* * *

**Apologies for any grammar issues that may be present in this chapter, but recent events in real life have been grabbing most of my attention as of late, but I'm sure that's nothing new with a lot of us out there. Considering everything that's been going on in the world, I think we're all a little stressed out.**

**So I mentioned last chapter that I've become busy as of late and that it might affect my writing schedule, but I wasn't specific about what was going on, but now I can actually say it.**

**I've made the decision to enlist in the United States Army. No, this is NOT an April Fools joke in any way, shape, or form. This is a serious and legitimate decision that I've made for myself. If you want details about what to expect going forward, please refer to my note posted on my profile page.**

**Thoughts about this chapter? Feedback is always appreciated.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you're all doing the best that you can in these times.**

_**"Go for it now. The future is promised to no**_** one."**

**Wayne Dyer**


	13. ONCE BEFORE, NEVER AGAIN

**CHAPTER 13: ONCE BEFORE, NEVER AGAIN**

**Remnant, System Unknown**

** Kingdom of Atlas**

** Atlas Academy**

** August 4th, 56 AGW**

In all honesty, Tony wasn't expecting much out of this visit, but then again, it was kind of amazing enough that he had been given the luxury to personally witness one of Ozpin's greatest-kept secrets; if the headmaster of Beacon Academy was this insistent about convincing the inventor that some ficticious fairy tale was real, then this was serious business.

Whether or not any of this magic business had any merit remained to be seen, but listening was acceptable for now.

For the sake of discretion, every measure available was being taken to ensure that only the young Stark would come to know about the true identity of the Winter Maiden and no one else. To that end, a special jet was sent to pick him up in Vale before departing immediately to Atlas with no delays of any kind.

Once landing in the kingdom of snow, an unmarked car quietly and swiftly drove him to Atlas Academy where he was received by Captain Ironwood. From there, it was a small trek through the hallways and corridors of the school, which appeared just as expansive as Beacon was.

Usually, it would be in Tony's spirit to crack a joke or make light of the situation, but he could feel the gravity of the situation that he was in now. Even if he didn't believe in magic at this time, he could sense that the people in the know appeared different than he was used to seeing them. It certainly made him reconsider his approach to all of this. Maybe a scenario like this demanded a more conventional approach that would guarantee a safer interaction with everyone else.

Tony decided to test the waters first. "We're going through a lot of security measures, Ironwood. How many more are there? What, do you guys have a vault or what?"

"Something like that." James replied while looking at him. "Actually, you hit the nail on the head. There's a vault underneath each huntsman academy that students aren't aware of."

"Wow. Sounds super sneaky." Tony decided to make light of the situation given the response. "Are you sure you guys aren't hiding anything else down there? Personal stuff? Dirty secrets that might embarrass you? Actually, that wouldn't make much sense to stash your embarrassing stuff down there when I'm around."

"No, we don't have anything of the nature that you're referring to." The captain gave him a slight look of annoyance. "Please bear in mind that this is a professional place of learning."

"Professionalism doesn't stop lots of people from doing… interesting and fun things." Tony knew first-hand what sort of business people could get up to when not seen publicly. "You'd be amazed what people can get up to when they think they can't be seen. That's not to say that I would care if stuff like that was happening."

"Duly noted." Ironwood muttered quietly as they both stopped at the doors of an elevator. "Before we go on, I need to remind you that what you see in here, what you hear in here, it all stays in here."

"Yeah, I read the whole nondisclosure agreement with Oz." Tony's reply was flippant. "Besides, who would believe in all of this? I certainly don't."

For a moment, the two men stared each other down. The military officer seemed to regard the businessman with a very critical eye. Then, his demeanor shifted to one of acceptance and resignation at the same time.

The two of them entered the elevator and quickly travelled down to the lower levels. It was a very silent affair. The Stark Industries CEO was running through the possible outcomes of what he was getting himself into. For better or worse, he was about to become part of something that even the governments of Remnant were completely unaware of. That fact itself lent a lot of weight to just how important all of this was. What he believed was irrelevant at this time; he had to at least listen first before rendering judgement.

The elevator ride ended and once it did, taking in the surroundings was the next logical thing to do.

Calling this a vault felt like the wrong word of choice. A chamber would be more appropriate to describe what could be seen. Directly in front was a walkway of metal that led to a roughly rectangular platform. Three pillars lit by blue flames dotted the platform along with snow, ice, and enormous dust crystal formations. There were no other places to walk aside from forward. The rest of the space was empty and the ceiling seemed to go on forever as did the chasms below.

"This makes even less sense than before." Tony couldn't make sense of what exactly he was looking at. "Man, what did I just get myself into?"

"If this amazes you, then you're going to love this next part." James remarked dryly. "See that golden door? That's where the Relic of Creation is held. It's also what keeps Atlas floating."

"That certainly makes things less confusing." Tony kept pace with his companion. "There is no way gravity dust could support the entire kingdom. I ran the numbers and it never worked out."

"I'm not surprised that you tried to figure it out." Ironwood chuckled. "You seem to want to solve all the mysteries in the world."

"Not all of them." Tony threw back. "Just the ones that defy all sorts of laws regarding the physical world."

"Well, we've got more things to show you, but first, introductions are in order." James looked to the side. "Ah, Fria, it's good to see you."

"And you as well, James." A woman's voice sounded. "And it's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Stark."

From the moment the twenty-two year old heard that voice, his expectations were altered. That didn't sound like the voice of a young girl or woman. It sounded like someone who had wisdom and experience on their side, someone who had seen plenty of stuff. The moment he set her sights on her, he did a mental pause.

She wasn't all that tall, probably average in height, maybe slightly taller. Her hair was dirty blonde with some slight indication that age was beginning to set in. Her eyes were a brilliant sapphire blue, clear and focused. Her build was thin and moderate and she presented herself in a graceful and dignified fashion expected of someone hailing from Atlas, but how she presented herself was neither arrogant nor condescending.

By themselves, each of these traits didn't mean much, but when combined together to form the person that the Winter Maiden was, it made the genius playboy halt. Aside from the eye color, all of these features were things that he recognized from one person.

_Mom._ He couldn't not think about her.

"Mister Stark?" James's voice snapped him back.

"Ah, excuse me." Tony cleared his throat. "I'm Tony Stark, but you already knew that."

"Yes, I've heard quite a bit about you." She nodded. "Ah, where are my manners? I'm Fria Frost."

"Fria." Tony tested the name. "I'll remember that."

It was kind of shocking just how much this woman looked like his late mother. Either this was one massive coincidence or fate had decided to mess with him and as a man of science, he wasn't one to believe in deities or fate. Still, he couldn't help but look at the Winter Maiden with anything but quiet contemplation. Of all the ways he expected this first meeting to go down, this was not the way he had envisioned it.

It was hard to think about his parents, especially Maria Stark. She was the only source of comfort in his family life, the one that told him that she loved him and cared about what happened to him. It was far more than what he had with Howard. Maybe that made him something of a mama's boy and that embarrassed him in a way. He certainly didn't want to mistake this woman for his mom. That would be super weird.

Yet Tony couldn't deny that his opinion towards Fria was now biased thanks to the uncanny resemblance to his mom. Actually, from how she introduced herself to how she presented herself was eerily similar to how Maria would approach anyone that she didn't know. That just made things even more complicated. At this time, would it be easy for him to mistake Fria for Maria?

Goddammit, even their names rhymed.

There were too many similarities.

"So as I understand things, Ozpin is looking for your cooperation in our little secret society." Fria continued the conversation. "He said that you require some proof that the maidens are actually real."

"Something to that effect." Tony was going to play this one straight. "I believe in science, cold-hard facts and undeniable proof. Magic is basically asking me to believe in something with no logical basis of any kind."

"I'm not certain that I can provide you with facts, but I can provide you with proof." Fria answered evenly. "If you'll stand back."

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

Fria Frost, in her fifty-five years of life, had seen a considerable amount of things, experienced a great deal, and learned a wealth of information. Everything up to this point had been her life, good and bad and she took it in stride each and every day. By carefully taking each situation one at a time, she had made her life more manageable or less difficult from another point of view.

She couldn't say that her life was one that she necessarily wanted all the time. Gods knew that she always had that desire to have some normalcy in her life. Despite how many people complained about normal everyday life, the Winter Maiden knew that they had it good. To be able to make a fuss about simple things meant that life was indeed going well if trivial matters were the worst concerns. Unfortunately, she would never be able to have that kind of life; a house, a family, those paths were long gone for and they had been taken from her the moment that she embraced her role as the guardian of the Relic of Creation.

Today should have been an experience that wasn't beyond what she had experienced. Although initiations into the secret society that oversaw the Maidens were spread out over years and even decades, they were hardly shocking or surprising situations. She knew how to proceed in the event that new recruits were skeptical of the power of magic, especially in this case.

Ozpin had been very adamant that Tony Stark needed to be on their side no matter the cost. The man held a critical key that would unlock the potential to not only even the playing field against the Grimm, but also push them back to a point where they could corner Salem. It was a once in a millenia opportunity that none of them could afford to let slip by them. The task was very clear: do whatever it took to get this man to stick with them.

But Fria knew from the moment that she laid eyes upon Mister Stark that she was looking at a different sort of man entirely. He was an entirely different sort of man from the man that she had met over the course of her life. Certainly there were parts of him that she didn't care much for. If his appearances in the media were any indication of who he was, he was a mere cocky young upstart with a womanizing tendency. However, time had taught her to look beyond what was plainly obvious and see what was underneath a person's exterior. If that failed, then at least she could get a sense about what she was dealing with.

And what her senses were telling her was that the weapons developer was creating this grand image of himself in order to hide something much deeper. What exactly he was hiding she couldn't say, but she didn't get the feeling that he had malicious intent or was an individual of vile character, but there was definitely something concealed under the persona that he wanted people to see.

There was also the fleeting moment when he first met eyes with her. It was so fast that she almost didn't catch it, but there was a look that she recognized. It was the look of someone who had lost a loved one only to find them again. She could only guess that she resembled someone he cared about, another interesting detail of note.

Maybe there would be more time to discern all of this, but for now, she had a job to do here, so that came first.

After both Ironwood and Stark cleared the area, giving her at least twenty meters or so, Fria began to dig deep down into her soul and summon the power of the Winter Maiden. The magical power within her was directly connected to her own soul. Even if she lost all of her aura, she could still make full use of the maiden powers. This was just one of the many ways that her own abilities impressed her despite nearly four decades of useage.

The sheer power that the Winter Maiden could summon was staggering to say the least. Out of all the four maidens that currently existed, she was arguably the best of them all, although she would say that the others weren't too far behind. Mastery of magic was something that required constant training and battle, both of which she had an abundance of. Even during these times of peace, there were no shortages of enemies to fight. Of course, those that saw her power and were her enemies never lived to see the next day. Such was the nature of the occupation that she was in.

The winds around her began to increase in speed and the chill in the air magnified by many factors beyond what the natural environment of Atlas could conjure at the worst of times. A whirlwind formed around her, creating both a funnel of coldness that served as both an unstoppable force and an immovable object. Nothing short of another maiden at full power would be able to get through. This was what it was like to wield the power of nature itself, albeit in a small and controllable fashion. At their absolute peak, the maidens themselves could win against any foe no matter the numbers, no matter the skill, and no matter the experience, but such blatant use of their magic hadn't been seen in hundreds of years.

But even from her position, she could still see through the tornado spinning around her to see both James and Tony staring back. They couldn't see her, but she could see their expressions. The former had seen this before and he was able to better maintain his cool visage. The latter carried a look of bewilderment, likely due to him trying to reconcile his knowledge with the impossibility before him. It was an understandable reaction and somewhat of an amusing one as well.

Fria decided that this was an ample enough display.

Almost in the blink of an eye, she drew in all of the energy courtesy of herself and instantly, there was no sign that there had ever been a whirlwind, just this chamber housing the Relic of Creation and the two other occupants besides herself.

"Judging by your expression, I would say that I've adequately convinced you, Mister Stark?" Fria commented. "Or do you need to see more?"

"Seeing, yes." Tony nodded his head once. "I'm still… working on believing."

That response made her smile in amusement. Such a silly response. It might be somewhat childish of her, but she couldn't help the feeling of smugness upon seeing the young man who was normally so sure of things be amazed.

"Well, I um, suppose that happened." Tony, to his credit, recovered quickly. "And I just joined this club for life… or something like that. I can't get out of this, right?"

Nobody cared to answer that question because the answer seemed obvious enough.

"Okay, stupid question." The young Stark played it off. "And for the record, this is bullshit. At the least the council would let me back off from anything that didn't smell like roses. You guys are just mean."

"Yet you don't seem all that intimidated." James said.

"Well, I've seen all of… whatever I've just seen, so I'm out." Tony began to walk back to the elevator. "I might be part of this group, but you can't afford me. I'll call you all when I'm in the mood to help. Maybe. Kind of. Actually, I'll probably send you all to voicemail."

Fear might be partially motivating his current behavior, but the Winter Maiden got the feeling that Mister Stark was also being guided by another reason not known. In any case, she did need one little bit of information from him.

"I can't very well leave a voice message if I don't have your number." Fria quipped back. "I might experience an emergence and not knowing how to contact you could mean the difference between life and death."

She could have done a much better job at wording that, but the effect worked apparently. The man of twenty-two years stopped with his back turned to everyone. After about ten seconds, he looked to his side, retrieved his scroll from his pocket, tapped a few times, then put the device away.

"You'll see my number somewhere in your list." Tony continued his walk. "Like I said, voicemail. Or if I do answer, I'll put you on hold. Now if you'll excuse me tin man and Miss Frost."

With all the swagger and charm available to him, the arms dealer left the scene, leaving a somewhat uninspiring atmosphere between the captain and the maiden.

"Well, he seems to like you, Fria." Ironwood sounded frustrated. "He didn't even give you a nickname."

Fria raised an eyebrow. "I take it that's a trademark habit of his?"

"Yes, it is." James sighed. "As you so eloquently heard."

Eloquent indeed.

* * *

**RWBY - - - Iron Man**

* * *

**Kingdom of Vale**

**Beacon Academy**

These days, Team STRQ was experiencing something of a major shift in their otherwise typical schedule, or what constituted as such in light of their way of life.

Ever since Mister Stark had approached them for weapons testing, they had become very occupied with testing out prototype items of all sorts that no one else could get their hands on, at least not for many years. Even more amazing was that despite not having any sort of schematics on their weapons, he had gifted each of them an upgrade that worked perfectly with their existing setup.

Summer was the most ecstatic of the entire team. Whether it was simple addons to their weapons or otherwise, she was always happy when they received new stuff in the mail. This served to deepen her admiration and respect for her idol. She could only speculate what would come moving forward.

For her personal upgrade, she was given a one-off dust randomizer. Combined with her blade that doubled as an extendable pike, the blade of her weapon would be constantly coated with a flowing supply of dust. It would render the conditions of her blade and the effects it had on enemy targets unpredictable. Basically, it made her into a wild card when her foe couldn't be sure what type of dust they would be facing at any given time.

Taiyang remained the most normal in terms of how he dealt with all of this. Although he did find some perks out of gear that was exclusive to his team, he wasn't nearly as gung-ho about it as his team leader was. Still, it was cool and he was finding new and interesting ways to enhance his own combat.

He had been given customizable wrist gauntlets. By themselves, they did nothing to enhance his combative ability, but when combined with certain dust cartridges, they enveloped his fist into flames. When these gauntlets were used in conjunction with Stark's smart dust, fine tuning of dust output was possible. In essence, his fists were now able to harness the elements to whatever capacity he saw fit

Raven always downplayed the Stark name, speaking somewhat ill of the man at times, but that didn't change the fact that she made good use of the upgrades given to her. She would rationalize it as a means to increase her overall combative ability, but none of them were fooled by that logic.

For the swordswoman, her add-on was simple but very dangerous. She had been given a small device that was insertable into the hilt after some modifications. This little gadget added the game-changing effect of granting her weapon more cutting power. This was done through alternating currents at very high vibration frequencies. Put simply, she was capable of cutting power to an insane degree.

Qrow had mixed feelings about Stark. On one hand, there was no denying the weapons developer was good at what he did, but all of this stuff seemed kind of excessive and there was no telling how much Stark Industries would change the world. Gods knew that the world was already changing in more ways than one.

As for what he got, it was a blade reconfiguration device. It allowed him to make more minute adjustments to his blade as well as his scythe. Having so many moving parts, constant care and attention was needed to maintain his weapon. This would help greatly reduce the amount of time he needed to spend everyday tuning and adjusting each individual part. With time, he might be able to make more drastic changes.

All in all, nobody issued a single complaint about what they were given. If only two of them could be more honest about how much they were enjoying this.

Having received all of this stuff three days ago, none of them had gotten the time they wanted to do all the testing they could, but so far, the results were promising. It would take the better part of a month for them to fully learn the basics before moving on to more advanced techniques and such.

Additionally, the package that all of their upgrades came in was left with a note from Mister Stark himself.

_Consider this an early Christmas present. Keep them if you feel so inclined. Also, don't say that I never do nice things for any of you._

_The Inventor_

"This is a very good day." Summer was just happy today. "Gods above, thank you for ensuring that I was born."

"What is she going on about?" Qrow gestured to the team leader.

"She's always like that when it comes to Stark." Taiyang reasoned. "I don't think any of us are ever going to get it."

"Agreed." Raven chimed in. "And if all possible, I would prefer that it stay that way."

"What did I do to deserve this?!" Summer curled into a ball and cried. "My own teammates are turning against me!"

Three heads turned to regard each other, none of them particularly alarmed by this sudden shift from their leader. She could be overly dramatic about the most trivial matters. It had taken them a bit of time to specify what constituted as important and unimportant, but once they had, they were no longer taken in by emotional outbursts like this one.

"Fine, be that way." Summer abruptly shifted from crying to pouting. "I'll find someone who does care."

"Like who?" Raven challenged. "Everyone in the dorm knows that you're off your rockers."

"I hate you, Raven." Summer deadpanned.

"Yep, tell me something I don't know." Raven dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Qrow, give me that wrench."

"All yours." Her twin handed her the tool. "But I'll need it back."

"What are we going to do with you, oh fearless leader?" Taiyang decided to take pity on the silver-eyed girl.

"Don't say it like that." Summer lowered her head in apprehension. "You make sound like I'm a complete mess."

"What, you aren't?" Raven took another shot.

"I really hate you." Summer commented.

"What else is new?" Raven shook her head.

The white-clad girl felt her pocket shake, so she fished for her scroll and looked at the number on the screen.

"Guess who?" Qrow said.

"Mister Stark, hi!" Summer instantly answered.

_"What's up, short stack? You and your team have a happy holiday?"_

"Absolutely!" Summer exclaimed. "We're taking names and kicking ass!"

_"Music to my ears. It looks like my foray into the huntsman market will work out."_

"I know it will." Summer believed he could. "Your level of technical knowledge is second to none. How did you manage to make these upgrades for our weapons? We didn't even provide you with schematics."

_"When you've worked with tech as long as I have, you just have an eye for that sort of thing. Also, it's a trade secret. If you knew, I'd have to kill you."_

"Can I know anyway?" Summer requested without hesitation.

_"You really have no sense of control, do you?"_

"Not when it comes to weapons!"

_"I'm not sure if I should feel good about that. Anyway, I called to remind you all to keep track of your progress. I'll be expecting weekly reports."_

"You got it!" Summer acknowledged. "Team STRQ is on it!"

The conversation from there shifted into topics concerning very specific weapon topics, something that Taiyang, Raven, or Qrow had a vested interest in, but watching the girl in white gush was sort of entertaining. They were all the same age, but from the way that Summer was acting right now, she appeared several years younger than all of them.

But not all of them were completely sure about what exactly was developing between the CEO and his fangirl.

"Do you really think this is okay?" Taiyang gestured. "What's going on between them?"

"I say let her have her moment." Raven shrugged. "It's doing us good too now that we don't have to constantly listen to her go on and on."

"No, I mean, is it okay that we're able to easily talk to Stark like this?" Taiyang clarified. "I mean, we're already a household name, but if people know that we're directly connected to a big gun, are we going to be okay?"

"We've never faced a problem that we couldn't take on." Qrow put down what he was working on to look at the blonde. "Besides, it's just a little harmless crush. It's not like Stark's actually going to do anything."

"That wasn't what I was talking about, but about that." Taiyang leaned back. "Should we, you know, warn Summer?"

"You're thinking too much about this, Tai." Raven scoffed. "Our team leader is childish, kind of stupid, and very stubborn, but she's a big girl. She could kick him where the sun don't shine if he ever tries anything."

Three pairs of eyes turned to witness a girl with black hair ending in red tips kicking her legs while talking in a rather animated fashion.

"Hopefully." Raven added.

None of them were sure now.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Kingdom of Atlas**

**Undisclosed Location**

Tony sat back in his chair, letting his head rest for a minute. Today had been nonstop action. This was the first time all day that he had taken any sort of break and it was pretty much time to turn in for the night.

There were so many emotions running through him right now. Even with his genius mind, processing them in an orderly and proper fashion felt like an impossible task. It was all so much for him to take in.

The Force existed, or something close to it. That changed a lot of things and it made his job a lot more difficult now that he was stuck with Ozpin and his cronies. Between his contacts within the huntsman academies and the maidens at his beck and call, what's to say that Ozpin wouldn't go rogue or lose it? Everyone had a breaking point.

In fact, after getting to know all the cards that the man had, it just made the weapons developer all the more suspicious. Resources and allies like this weren't easy to obtain even on a good day. All of this took time and effort, something that the mastermind didn't appear to have if his age was anything to go by.

Tony quietly contemplated his next move. This would undoubtedly affect how he ran Stark Industries in the future. If the headmaster of Beacon Academy had this much power at his fingertips, so many things could go wrong. This whole just went from a little weird to potentially kingdom-crushing. If the wrong people knew about this, it wouldn't be all that hard to cause chaos that could see record numbers of Grimm crawling up the walls.

The CEO needed to start accelerating his work. What was important right now was moving along weapons development and constantly improving. If he intended to be able to be comparable to Ozpin, he needed to leverage assets of equal or greater value. For now since he was new to the maidens, asking for their help would be a no-go, at least until a new maiden was chosen.

According to the rules, once a maiden died, their powers would transfer to another female candidate. The rules were stupid and convoluted, but it boiled down to either memories or random selection that the next maidens were chosen. Anyone male was out of the game entirely, which was kind of stupid and kind of convenient.

In any event, Tony was formulating an idea that had a serious gamble. While he personally wanted to distance himself from the Illuminati phonies, there was one thing he could get out of being a member. No doubt there was a means for this group to find new maidens once the old ones passed away. He wanted to be the first ones to find the maidens and maybe piece together every detail he could about them.

If there was ever a time to feel like James Bond, now was the time. Spying on other people was definitely not a part of his usual skill set.

But now he had a reason to learn.

Tony's thoughts drifted to Fria and he shook his head. No matter how liberal his sense of morals were in regards to the maidens, he couldn't bring himself to do anything that might hurt the Winter Maiden.

He just couldn't do it.

* * *

**A quick update regarding my enlistment process. I'm supposed to ship out on July 28th, so I've got time. Hell, I haven't even gone in for processing, so you guys can rest a little easier knowing that you'll be seeing at least one more chapter after this one.**

**Back to the story.**

**So this is kind of out of left field, but I've decided to give all of my readers a second and final shot at seeing one of their favorite characters be the biological child of Tony Stark. To that end, I've set up a new pole on my profile page that will determine the fifth and final character that will be blood-related to our protagonist. I say again, this pole will give you all a chance to see ONE CHARACTER be the child of Tony Stark.**

**As a reminder, the current four that are already slated to be Tony's children are Ruby, Weiss, Neo, and Winter. If you don't see their names on the poll, don't worry. Their places are assured. This poll is to determine one new character. Some characters won't be included due to existing story elements that would conflict like Kali and Ghira getting together, so no Blake in this poll.**

**Regarding this chapter and the story going forward, I've come to figure out how a lot of characters can be useful for the story I want to tell. The canon show has this really bad habit of introducing characters with so much potential only to see them kicked to the curb or developed in a way that is rushed or makes no sense. I belive I've found numerous ways to fix that problem.**

**Thoughts on this chapter? Reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you're all doing as well as you can during this difficult times.**

_**"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might**_** be."**

**John Wooden**


	14. IT'S GETTING COLD IN HERRE

**CHAPTER 14: IT'S GETTING COLD IN HERRE**

**Remnant, System Unknown**

** Kingdom of Atlas**

** Private Residence**

**March 12th, 57 AGW**

Whenever Tony was consumed with work, time passed with remarkable speed. By the time he realized how much time had passed, even he had to put down his tools and think about it very carefully.

It had been one year, a month, and some change since he had come to the world of Remnant, a place teeming with human life as well as the unusual faunus. This place mirrored much of Earth's cultures and mannerisms and other small things. It started out as uncanny, but eventually, he found it convenient for him. It made his work easier when there were so many things in the world that mirrored what he was familiar with back home, so he stopped worrying and did more working.

And the inventor's work had been paying off quite handsomely. It had been exactly a year since the Yaeger Mark I was displayed to the Council of Vale. Now, the first shipments of the missile were beginning to be sent out to the council. Considering the unusually large amount of time necessary for missiles to be designed, tested and field, a year and some change was a record-breaking time to completion. Then again, the knowledge was already there and tested. Everything else that followed would no doubt take much longer.

The profits being raked in were very nice and most of it would be reinvested into Stark Industries to expand its main base of operations in Vale. New production facilities, office spaces, and experimental test sites needed to be procured, which would be made easier now that the company was in the good graces of the government. It was just a matter of some haggling and careful negotiations with the right people. Equipment for building not to mention materials were in need as well, not that it was hard to find suppliers who were willing to do business. Success had a way of enticing people to offer deals. It was now a matter of selecting the most beneficial ones out of the many that came forward.

Talks in Atlas had evolved and already preliminary work was being done to provide them with a product. However, unlike Vale, the most technologically-advanced kingdom on Remnant chose instead to focus not on physical weaponry but all things related to technology. More specifically, they were banking on Stark Industries providing cutting-edge software technology that would be used for updating some old systems as well as providing a more fluid experience for some weapon systems that relied more heavily upon software.

Understandably, Atlas didn't want to be seen as copying Vale directly. It would arouse suspicion and tensions would begin to rise. It might even be possible for a cold war to begin unwittingly. In order to preserve the perceived status quo, Atlas politicians and military general officers made great efforts to keep the dealings with Stark Industries on the down-low. It would come out later, but now was not an opportune time.

Tony was also having some success in Mistral as well. Despite his relationship with the kingdom of many cultures being more subdued, he still had some gains. He just had to be extremely selective about who he chose to associate with. Huntsmen and huntresses were his greatest customers and already he had begun making plans for a subdivision of Stark Industries designated specifically for weaponry, protective wear, ammunition, and combative tools specifically for Grimm hunters. The provings grounds would be in Mistral because it contained the most diverse pool of customers out of all the four kingdoms. After a year of testing, consideration would be put into the remaining kingdoms.

As Stark Industries continued to grow in all ways, so too did his workload, but that didn't stop him from devoting some free time into keeping an eye and ear on Ozpin and his goons. Despite being an official member of this secretive brotherhood sword to shield the Maidens from the public eye, he didn't fully trust anyone who was part of the group, least of all the man heading it. Meeting the Winter Maiden had really hammered into the genius's mind just what he had gotten himself into and the more he thought about it, the more he realized that his relationship with them was critical.

The reason that it mattered so much was because depending upon his actions, they might choose to either aid or impede his work with Stark Industries. Tony's best advantage was that Ozpin was in need of men who could provide for him in his shadow war against whoever or whatever. The fact that Tony was capable of fielding weapons that were capable of destruction on a large scale meant his value as an ally depended solely on his ability to continually provide that controlled chaos, at least for now. That would have to change in the future if he hoped to gain as much information from the brotherhood as possible.

The CEO didn't like any of it and whenever there was a mandatory meeting, he made a habit of never showing up personally, instead attending via voice call on scroll. Ozpin had initially attempted to get the young Stark to be physically present, but after the third time, the headmaster all but conceded. However small the victory seemed, its implication was what mattered. That decision cemented that the lead of Beacon Academy was willing to bend to the weapons developer. Further exploitation would be done in order to ascertain the exact limit of this willingness to compromise.

But disregarding the unpleasantness of the whole thing, every meeting had been uneventful. No attacks were made on any of the maidens nor had any of the current maidens displayed any signs of passing on. It was so anticlimactic that it seemed pointless to conduct these meetings in the first place.

The only silver lining was that he got to speak with Fria. As much as Tony wouldn't admit it, he chose to stay in contact with her on a consistent basis because once he'd established that the Winter Maiden possessed so many similarities with his mother, he just had to keep an eye on her. It sounded arrogant of him to think that he was protecting her seeing as she could probably kick his ass a thousand times over, but the feeling was there. His mom had died and he couldn't do a thing to help her.

He could do something now. He could make sure that she didn't meet an untimely death. He could assist her covertly.

Anything was better than nothing.

The young man could only sigh into his hand. Normally, he could keep these wandering thoughts under control, but every time he was in Atlas, he couldn't help but think about her. His dealings with the Council of Atlas had him visiting often. His trips were frequent enough that he decided to purchase his own place here. It had cost him a pretty lien, but the bells and whistles attached were considerable. Plus, prime real estate wasn't exactly plentiful up in the clouds and in the grand scheme of things, he had gotten a bargain.

Tony got up from his desk and stretched himself out. His business in Atlas this time around was concluded more or less. The only thing left on his docket was to attend this ball being thrown by none other than Jack Frost. The SDC head really did love to throw these gatherings just to remind everyone who was in charge in Atlas. His ego was so inflated that it was annoying.

_Nobody has a bigger ego than me._ The Stark CEO wasn't about to be one-upped. _You want to play ball, Jacque? Bring it._

There were plenty of ways to show off without being so blatant. Although the weapons developer had a multitude of ways to show off his own arrogance, his usual method was to be direct with a suave spin. That way, he could make clear to everyone that he was above them all while also getting them to accept that fact.

And who knew? There could be a chance for him to get lucky. Atlas had a very prominent high society. These were men and women who flaunted their wealth and their assets and their beauty trying to outdo each other. There were plenty of trophy wives out on display and quite a few of them were no doubt not being satisfied in all the right ways.

Tony also would admit that making another man's wife scream his name was a massive ego booster, especially when it came to the men that were insanely massive pricks. Taking them down a peg was awesome, even if he couldn't always publicly announce his conquests. The knowledge of his deed was oftentimes satisfying enough.

But before he could congratulate himself, he needed to know who was to be attending. Then he would need to do research concerning each individual and whom they were connected to and what was most relevant to them. These people prided themselves as superior in all ways, even if many of them were mediocre paper pushers at best and incompetent morons at worst.

Ah, the life of the wealthy and famous.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**Schnee Family Manor**

**March 12th, 57 AGW**

Willow usually never found herself in a sour mood much less an angry mood. She was a lady and all proper ladies never displayed such raw emotions unbefitting of their status, not in the public eye. It just was not becoming.

But tonight, an exception was being made.

Jacque was a busy man, that was to be expected. The Schnee Dust Company was arguably the biggest name in dust refinement and distribution in the world. It took a certain type of individual to run a business of such a scale. In that vein, there was no denying that he didn't have much time to spend elsewhere.

Yet it seemed that ever since they had gotten married, her husband had done nothing but work constantly. The time he spent with her had lessened as time went on and she now could only see him maybe once a day very briefly. Perhaps on the weekend, she would be able to see him for a longer period of time. Then it was right back to work for him.

More often than not, Willow could count on sleeping alone at night due to Jacque being either in his office at home or at the company headquarter. That was the new routine and she absolutely did not like it.

Gods above, it felt like she spent more time with Mister Stark than she did her husband, even though the Stark Industries CEO visited once a week at most. How was that okay, her spending more time with a man that wasn't her husband?

To make things even more complicated, the daughter of Nicholas Schnee couldn't deny the fact that with every visit, her interest in the weapons dealer was growing. Regardless of whether he asked questions about her or talked more about other worldly topics, he always had a way of getting her involved in a conversation and retaining her attention. She was so engrossed that the hands on a clocked moved faster than she realized.

Why was it that Tony Stark was able to find time to invest in her and not Jacque Schnee? Was was it that a man who was arguably just as busy as her husband was capable of seeing her often when her husband wasn't.

It didn't make sense.

So today, the former heiress had decided to make a trip to see Jacque. Despite her internal emotions being something of a storm, she kept that out of her face. He would not be as receptive to her if she approached him with a look that denoted displeasure, but her aura at this time was felt by the servants and staff that she happened to cross paths with on the way. They bowed as was expected, but were quick to move out of her way. She only spared them a look before resuming her well-mannered walk.

It was a short few minutes of winding hallways and turns before she reached the room that she needed to go to. She took a moment to formulate what she wished to speak of. He might be on a break at this time and if he was, now was a good time.

With a small sigh, she carefully knocked on the door three times before waiting.

"Come in." Jacque's voice said.

With her cue, Willow carefully opened the door, entered the room, then closed it gently, then turned to face the far end of the office.

"Ah, Willow." Jacque sat at his desk, his eyes on her. "What brings you here at this time?"

"Jacque, I have something I wish to speak with you about." Willow walked forward, her eyes on him. "Have you a moment to spare?"

"I do." Jacque gestured to a nearby chair. "Sit."

So far, he appeared able and willing to listen. That was the most that she could hope for at this time. What she said next would confirm what kind of mood he was truly in.

"Ever since our marriage, our time together has been waning." Willow began. "The amount of time I see you in any given week is limited as well. I am well aware that the Schnee Dust Company occupies most of your time, but is there no way you can divert more time for us?"

His silence lasted only for a few seconds, but his expression did not shift. He appeared as even and cool as he did when speaking to his clients and other people within their social status. Externally, she showed no signs of reaction, but what she felt inside was far from happiness, quite the opposite.

Jacque cleared his throat before speaking. "I understand what you are saying, truly I do, but I'm afraid I cannot devote any more than I already am. You have to understand that with the continuous growth that the SDC is showing, the amount of work that needs to be done has increased exponentially. Even with all of the new hires that have been taken on, my responsibilities have multiplied considerably."

To his credit, Willow could willingly agree that the company that her father had founded was very much evolving into something far more grand in scale. Her husband was making things happen, of that there was no doubt, but again, Mister Stark had plenty on his plate, yet he still had some degree of freedom to do as he pleased.

She stowed away her disagreement and merely continued to listen.

"Consider this." Jacque pointed to a nearby wall map. "The Long Peace that we have been experiencing has allowed the kingdoms of the world to become something much greater than they were before the Great War. Even after over half a century since the war ended, we are still rising to greater heights."

This was hardly news to Willow. Ever since the Great War had ended, people were eager to forget the horrors of the conflict and live out their lives in peace for the sake of themselves and their families. All the cultural changes, all the technological advantages, all of the mindsets, all of it was changed, altered, or evolved in order to ensure that a war of global proportions would never happen again. These were subjects that were relevant to Mister Stark due to the nature of his business.

Again, she kept her disagreement in check. It would not serve her well.

"The Schnee Dust Company could become the premiere dust supplier of the entire world." Jacque continued on, regarding the map with a twinkle in his eye. "We could power the world if we play our cards right. The Schnee name would be etched into history permanently. Our family would never be forgotten."

Despite his wording being inclusive, Willow didn't register this. She had no involvement in any part of the SDC and they both knew it. What exactly was he getting at by being this fluid with his words?

"You wish to ensure our legacy."

"Yes, exactly. What is more important than that?"

It was an ambitious goal and it would be a massive undertaking to be sure and she couldn't help but be impressed by his conviction. Anyone could see that he was serious about this ultimate goal.

But that wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"So what you're telling me is that what we have now is all we can have." Willow regarded him. "Is that correct."

"I'm afraid so." Jacque nodded in agreement. "And you should expect to see me far less as time goes on. My work will never truly be done."

That was the end of the conversation. It all felt moot seeing as there was no dilemma nor any second-thoughts. What she had now was all she was ever going to get and she would get even less as time went on. One look at his face and it was clear that he wasn't planning on going back on his answer.

"I see." Willow threw all of her willpower into her manners. "Then I apologize for disturbing you, Jacque. I will let you get back to work."

He gave her a single nod before turning his attention back to his holographic screen, already finding something to occupy his attention with. She walked to the door, gracefully exiting. Once she did, she looked to her left and to her right.

The hallway was quiet.

She made her way to the bedroom. She just walked through the hallways quietly and kept her head straight and her chin up. Instinct made sure of that. She preserved that posture until she reached her destination, opening the door, closing it and engaging the lock.

She was alone now.

It was only then that Willow leaned against the door and began to cry.

Jacque didn't want to see her.

That's what she interpreted. Whether or not that was his intended meaning was irrelevant. That's what she picked up.

Wasn't marriage supposed to be something wonderful?

But if it was, then why was it she was suffering?

Did she do something wrong?

Was it Jacque's fault?

Would it be different if they weren't married?

What if she were married to someone else?

Like Tony Stark.

Her momentary thought of that man made her shake her head.

What was she thinking?

* * *

**RWBY - - - Iron Man**

* * *

When it came to balls and formal affairs like this one, it was important to get a feel for the overall atmosphere. Knowing the general mood of the guests would help him better converse with the people he planned to meet. An observation didn't have to take long. Even just a minute of looking around was enough to read the room.

And tonight, it felt like everyone here was in good spirits. It was clear that Jacque was putting out all the stops to make sure that everyone was properly cared for. Drinks, food, and other various amenities were being made available so freely. Servants were rushing around to attend the needs of the guests as was required of them. It was an ideal atmosphere for accommodation.

Tony wasn't fooled by any of it. Despite the good vibes going around, he could tell from the start that this was merely an ego-boosting affair, something that Jack Frost did in order to remind everyone that the SDC was THE name in dust mining and refinement. He wanted to make sure people were reminded of his wealth and influence. Between the money necessary for this party and the various guests that hailed from wealthy and prestigious backgrounds, it was all a show that would reinforce his dominance over all of them.

This was the exact sort of thing that the genius didn't care much to participate in. While he could concede to himself that Jacque was indeed in a much better position than he was, the Stark CEO's own ego told him that he needed to fight back in some way and show the bastard that two could play at this game, but one one could come out on top as the most egotistical man in the business world on Remnant.

So the thing to do was to get down to business with the other guests. Tony would start by introducing himself to the various men and women occupying the room. He would then play the game, complimenting Jacque in superficial ways before launching off into his forays. Every time he did so, he made sure to custom-tailor his conversation to suit the preferences of each individual present. He knew who everyone here was and he knew enough about them with prior research to know what made them tick.

For example, he was well aware that the Marigold family were a bunch of ignorant morons who were only here due to their sheer wealth that they possessed, a holdover from their predecessors. They presented themselves as wealthy, but there was doubt as to their true financial situation, but of course, graciating them was useful in its own way. Another ally, however dubious, was always good to have.

But there were other people here who were plenty competent. Politicians, real estate owners, stock traders, CEO's and executives, old legacy families, anyone who could be considered important in any capacity were here. There were even a couple of rival military contractors; talking to them would be pointless, so no effort was made.

Tony did this for a time until his mind began to grow tired of it all and he began retreating to a more secluded location. As he moved, he suddenly had a thought; of all the people he had seen and met, he hadn't spotted Willow. That struck him as somewhat odd. Surely, Jacque would want to reinforce where he was in life by proudly displaying his beautiful wife to the world to let them know what he had.

So where was she?

His eyes discreetly, but swiftly scanned the entire ballroom, but he found no trace of the woman in question. He widened his search parameter and that's when he got lucky. There was a large open balcony sizable enough to allow a large group to stand on, yet the daughter of Nicholas Schnee was there, all alone with no one for company.

With as much skill and grace as was needed, the weapons developer carefully exited the scene, making sure that he was as discreet as possible. With a cautious movement, he slipped onto the balcony, opening and closing the door with a sigh.

"You don't like parties, Snow White?" Tony approached her with a smirk. "Actually, that's a stupid question. Of course you don't. You'd be inside if that were the case, not freezing out here."

"Hello, Mister Stark." Willow's voice sounded so distant. "I take it the company is to your liking?"

"For a bunch of stuck-up pricks, they draw blood pretty well." Tony leaned slightly on the stone rail. "And here you are, pure as the snow that falls every day here."

"There you go again." Willow laughed softly, yet it sounded alien. "Flattering me like this. If I didn't know better, I would say that you were trying to court me."

"Court you." Tony repeated her words and considered them for a few moments. "You know what? That actually sounds like something I would do."

"Is it?" Willow didn't face him completely, although looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "Are you not wary of the consequences of such an action?"

"I know what could happen, but then I remember that I'm the Merchant of Death." Tony persisted, his head turning to look out into the night sky. "So everyone else by comparison seems far less intimidating."

Although his eyes were not directly trained on her, he could sense that she was still not quite fully engaged with him. Someone was weighing on her mind. It didn't look serious from the way that she conversed with him, but it was enough to hamper her usual demeanor. He could also sense her mood softening.

"How nice it would be to think like that more often." Willow lamented. "But if you plan to rival the Schnee Dust Company, you will not be afforded that luxury."

"Like I'm gonna let some old geezers tell me what's proper." Tony replied flippantly. "I got enough of that from my old man. I know exactly what I'm doing and if people don't like it, well… that's too bad. I've got a big stick and they don't."

"Truly, your recklessness knows no bounds." Willow was probably praising him.

Tony leaned in a little closer. "You know, you could be a little happier in life if you were reckless too. Live on the edge a bit, go crazy. You've only got one life and you only stay young for so long."

"And what would you propose that I do?" Willow gave him a more direct look.

"That little back and forth that's going through your head?" Tony couldn't discern the finer details, but he knew an internal conflict when he saw one. "Why don't you just shut your brain off. Come on, I know you want to."

For a moment, her expression made it seem as if he had grown another head. Despite this, he kept up his best smirk possible. When it came to women, confidence and persistence was the key. Even if he said the most stupid thing in existence, as long as he said it with his head held high, it would be hard for anyone to turn him down.

Willow then appeared to have made a decision of her own. She slid up next to him fully, her body making contact with his own. His mind only relapsed for a split second before it regained control and quickly assessed the situation. Both her hands were on his chest and she looked up at him with a pair of eyes that searched his own.

For the Stark head, he would be lying if he said that this didn't get his blood pumping, but this was the make or break moment. He needed to keep this up until he knew for sure that he had sealed the deal.

"Not that I'm complaining, but you're already hitched." Tony reminded her. "Are you sure the cold hasn't dulled your senses? Or maybe the drinks served tonight are stronger?"

"The cold is my home." Willow had a very sad look on her face. "But the warmth you're providing is not unwelcome. Also, I have a high tolerance for alcoholic beverages."

Okay, she was receptive, but he still wanted to test her.

"We're not exactly hidden, you know." Tony pointed out. "If anyone sees this, well, let's just say things will get interesting."

"Perhaps." Willow said. "But Jacque seems to be keeping the guests entertained plenty."

Both of them looked back to see that indeed, all of the invitees were looking in the direction of Jacque as he looked to be giving a rousing speech. Basically, their eyes were not on the balcony at all.

Tony turned back to her, gently but firmly grasping her chin. "What would Jacque say about this?"

The only thing she did in response was stare at him with that same forlorn expression. Just from that alone, there was enough evidence to deduce that something had gone on between the two of them, maybe an argument or a disagreement. Whatever the case, her features made one thing clear: she was hurting on the inside.

"Is there something you want?" Tony wanted to see just how far he could go.

As he did so, he made direct eye contact with her, still keeping her chin within his hand. Her grip on his front tightened. She met his intense gaze with one of her own.

When it came to women, they all had their own way of offering permission. Some used their bodies. Others gave a very enticing verbal command. A few used a combination of both. Willow was using all of these, but it was her eyes that gave the most clear and resolute grant of permission.

For a moment, Tony thought about all of the ramifications of his actions. Sleeping with any other woman was easy. The consequences were miniscule and the benefits were many, but this time, he was about to get involved with Willow Schnee and she was married already. If any of them were caught, there would be fallout no matter how much he downplayed.

_Why do I even care in the first place?_ He second-guessed himself. _Nobody tells me how I live. I do._

His ego began to take hold of him. He took what he wanted, when he wanted and there wasn't a single person in the world who could tell him off.

As a final test, Tony moved his head closer to hers and her eyes closed, indicating the trust she had put in him. His lips gently met her own and he applied pressure that he felt appropriate. She in turn met him with equal force as her hands held him in a way that ensured he wouldn't escape her easily.

There was no backing out from this now.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

**March 13th, 57 AGW**

Willow felt her eyes open and she took a moment to get her mind oriented. As she rose from the bed, she felt a shiver and she quickly realized why.

She wasn't wearing anything, not even a nightgown.

As she recalled the reason why, she felt her blood freeze.

She had just slept with Tony Stark.

Her head reeled a bit as she tried to calm herself. What she had just done was more than a little wrong. She had crossed a line that she thought she would never even dare to think about. Marriage was a sacred vow that she promised at the altar to never break no matter what. This entire ordeal called into question how much her word was worth.

Why did she even do this in the first place?

She asked herself that question and then answered it within a few moments. She was angry at Jacques. She was lonely. She was in a bad place and Tony just happened to be there when she was looking for some company.

Willow's attempt to rationalize her behavior didn't bring her much comfort. The fact of the matter was that she gave into temptation and latched onto the weapons dealer and in all honesty, it wasn't as if he was a poor choice.

He was intelligent, perhaps the most intelligent man that the former heiress had ever met. He walked with a swagger and confidence that both made him arrogant and intriguing. He was self-centered, egotistical, and looked down on everyone else. Really, there was no limit to how this man could elevate his own image. However, in a way, all of sheer confidence and charm and intelligence were not without merit.

And it didn't hurt that he certainly had very good looks. She was well aware that he drew the eyes of more than a few women, even amongst the women in the high society of Atlas. Even worse, Mister Stark knew exactly how he looked to others.

As for how he was last night… well, frankly, the woman honestly had no idea that she was capable of screaming that loudly. It was fortunate that almost the entire staff had been diverted to tasks related to the party. It was also fortunate that she knew ways of getting around the Schnee mansion discreetly without being seen otherwise her little rendezvous with Tony would have been much more difficult to pull off.

Willow shook her head to try and swear off these thoughts about him. This was precisely the reason that she had gotten herself into this situation. It was a miracle that nobody seemed to know about them here.

Where was he, by the way?

Looking around, she saw not a sign of him. From where she was on the bed, it appeared that she was the only one here. Not a trace of another person existed here. This was her old bedroom, the one she slept in from the moment she was born until she was married. Sometimes, she still used this place as her own private sanctuary to get away from it all.

Willow then noticed a small note on the table next to the bed. With a delicate hand, she reached over and retrieved it to read the single sentence on the note.

_If you ever get lonely, you know where to find me._

"The nerve of that man." Willow muttered to herself. "He presumes to know what will happen."

She held the note close to her.

* * *

**Before I get into anything else, a quick reminder. I went to MEPS two weeks ago for processing into the military. I can now say with much anticipation that I got through without any issues. I've signed my contract and sworn in as a United States Army Soldier, going in as a Combat Engineer (12B), starting off as an E4, Specialist, and I will be leaving for Basic Combat Training on August 4th at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri.**

**So you guys can look forward to at least one more chapter following this one before I leave. For more details regarding the future of my stories, please see my profile.**

**Now back to the story.**

**Oh boy. Now the fun starts and things start to ramp up. Some of you might be wondering if there will ever be any explicit sexual scenes in this story and my answer to that is no. I think that you all understand perfectly well what went down.**

**And man did Willow score big. Keep in mind that Tony Stark is currently twenty-two years of age according to my timeline, soon to be twenty-three. If you've seen Robert Downey Jr. when he was younger, you will know that he was good-looking back then too, but back then, he had the pretty boy look to him. These are the kind of looks you find in boy bands. You get the point.**

**I may not have mentioned this, but my primary motivation for making Tony have so many biological children is my way giving myself a challenge in terms of character interactions and making the plot somewhat unpredictable. By allowing you, the readers to select who will be biologically related to Iron Man, I am essentially forcing myself to adapt to an element that is out of my control. I like to think of this as a test of my ability to work with a card that I didn't choose.**

**And speaking of voting, today conludes the pole regarding the fifth and final child of Tony Stark. This time around, the lucky winner is Velvet Scarlatina. She has more or less dominated the polls for most of the past month. I think the reason for her popularity is because I didn't include her in the previous poll, but there's probably others reason you guys wanted to see her. For more information about the poll see my profile. The results should be public**

**That's all I have to say. Thoughts about this chapter? About the poll? Please review and give me your honest opinions about anything and everything.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.**

_**"There's a way to do it better - find it."**_

**Thomas A. Edison**


	15. CRY HAVOC

**CHAPTER 15: CRY HAVOC**

** Remnant, System Unknown**

** Kingdom of Atlas, Mantle**

** Polendina Laboratory**

** March 20th, 57 AGW**

Maria Calavera knew that it was at least a few years too early to be getting adjustments to her prosthetic eyes, but her travels across Remnant had taken her back to this place and frankly speaking, she couldn't think of a reason to delay this otherwise routine checkup. Also, she was in need of someone to talk to. Despite going many places around the world, not many people were willing to go out of their way to talk to a cripple.

That was something of a sore point for the silver-eyed woman. It wasn't like she was old and physically debilitated. She still had plenty of years on her. Hell, she wasn't even in her forties yet. Then again, most people hadn't once possessed the title of the Grimm Reaper. Nobody even knew that she was one in the same with that calling and as long as she loved, that would always be so.

Maria kind of needed to go see Pietro. He was one the only few people to have any kind of meaningful relationship with her. She did her best to keep in touch with him whenever possible, but he was a busy man and she knew his time was precious. Between his work for the Atlesian Military and his personal desire to help those in need, she didn't doubt that he was swarmed with things to do.

As she walked along with the aid of a walking stick, she took note of the very clear difference between Mantle and Atlas. The clear separation of the wealthy and the poor was apparent. It had been like this for as long as she could remember. This place was always a reminder of the clear separation between different classes in society. Unlike the hotly debatable divide between humans and faunus, there was no question as to who ruled this place. The signs were all around.

Maria finally located the small and humble place where Pietro conducted his business. When she opened the door, she was expecting many things. A line, nobody at all, or just Doctor Polendina. What she got instead was something quite unusual.

Pietro was there and standing besides him was a young man in his early twenties. That fact by itself wasn't what was interesting, Upon approaching them, the former huntress took in the unknown man's features with her prosthetic eyes.

This was Tony Stark, a name that Maria had been hearing a lot in the past year and she heard everything from glowing praise to outright slander. All of it she didn't believe at face value; she didn't judge people based on what the media said. It was better to meet well-known individuals in person and render her own picture.

And based on just what she was seeing, it appeared that Pietro was quite friendly with his current conversational partner. They must have a working relationship having to do with technology, at least that's what she surmised. The way the two of them were speaking to each other made it clear that no ordinary person would know how to decipher their meaning.

"Is this a bad time?" Maria decided to butt in.

"Ah, a patient!" Pietro lit up upon seeing her. "Please, miss, do sit down. I'll be with you in a moment."

"Don't you remember me?" Maria probably should have expected this. "You gave me these things?"

"Hm." Pietro narrowed his eyes as he regarded her, then his face lit up. "Ah, yes! Maria! It's good to see you, but I don't think you're due for a visit for a while."

"I was in town." Maria reasoned as she took a seat on the reclined patient chair nearby. "I thought I would come see you. I'm still getting used to seeing these things."

"Those things are your eyes?" Mister Stark only then butted into the conversation. "Man, that's a rocking look, C3PO."

What was a C3PO?

"Those prosthetics are some of my best work." Pietro lightly scolded his compatriot. "Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to see at all."

"Still, kind of tacky." The Stark CEO approached her. "It's Stark. Tony Stark."

"Maria Calavela." The woman said in reply. "A pleasure."

She offered a hand and he took a moment to look at it and then he regarded her face before he gave her a shake in reply. His grip was strong, but she had this feeling that he wasn't putting all the strength that he could.

"So, how did you go blind?" Tony was fearless with his question. "You get too close to a Grimm?"

"The Grimm don't concern me." Maria released his hand. "I got these from a mercenary. That was before I killed her."

"Okay then." Tony's uncertainty lasted for all of a second. "So can I take those apart and study them?"

"I need them to see." Maria deadpanned. "And I would prefer not to be completely blind."

"A shame." Tony smirked at her. "It's unfortunate that such a pretty face hides behind those god-awful things."

"...thank you for the compliment." Maria received the comment somewhat lamely.

When was the last time that she had received a compliment from anyone about how she looked? Perhaps ever since she had gotten her prosthetics because she couldn't recall in recent memory of any such thing happening. After so long without being able to see with her original eyes, she had also forgotten about what it meant to be complimented for her looks. In her golden years, she was no stranger to receiving attention from many men.

"Mister Stark, if you would please." Pietro appeared somewhat vexed. "This is a clinic for providing prosthetics."

"Where in your rule book does it say that a patient and a person unrelated to the clinic can't be friends?" That smug look couldn't get any bigger. "Because that is currently the situation."

"Then maybe I should amend my rules so you specifically can't be overly friendly with my female patients." Pietro gave a mildly serious look, then gave his patient an apologetic look. "My apologies, Maria. Mister Stark means well. He's merely… very fond of women."

"So I've heard." Maria shrugged. "And so I've confirmed it right now."

"Shut down. Ouch." Tony didn't even sound the least bit hurt at being softly turned down. "Well, if we're not going down that route, then maybe I could entertain you both with something else. What if I told you both that I could fix her eyes and get rid of the extra weight?"

"Tony, I know that you're a genius, but do you really need to remind us that you're a braggart as well?" Pietro sighed as he palmed his forehead. "Gods above, you two haven't even known each other for five minutes."

"I was being serious, Gepetto." Tony gave a slightly exasperated look to his fellow inventor. "It would be a serious disservice to Mankind to let that face be obscured by cans of tuna. Just look at that. So ludicrous."

"I'm right here, I hope you two realize." Maria would not be left out of this conversation being that this was about her. "And before I agree to destroy my sight even further, I would like to know what exactly I'm going through."

"Ah ah ah." Tony waved a finger in front of her. "No spoilers yet, sweetheart. Actually, how old are you?"

"Did you seriously just ask a woman that?" Maria gave him a slight frown. "And do you expect me to answer that?"

"Older than me." Tony ignored her disapproving tone while crossing his arms. "I can work with that. I don't discriminate based on age."

At this point, the former Grimm Reaper couldn't decide if she wanted to throttle the CEO or laugh at his attempts to flirt. If any other man said it, she wouldn't take them so seriously, but in this case, there was something different about his words when they were delivered the way they were and with the pose that came with them. In any case, his mouth and his brain appeared to work really fast and she couldn't say that was a bad thing.

"But before I can do anything, I'm going to need all the technical data and her physical." Tony returned his eyes to the Atlesian native. "I can't work with nothing. I ain't a magician."

"Maria, I can't do anything without your permission." Pietro turned to her with an exhausted glint in his eyes. "It's your choice."

There was no way she was about to make such an important decision on a dime. Besides, in all honesty, she hadn't come to terms with her initial injury, not to the extent that she was willing to talk about it in length. These prosthetics were hard enough for her to stomach.

"I appreciate the generosity, gentleman." Maria smiled lightly. "However, I'm going to need some time."

"Knock yourself out, Grimm Reaper." Tony nodded his head once. "I got all the time in the world."

"What?" Maria did a double take upon hearing that name.

"I don't know about you, but a walking cane with a skull on it?" Tony gestured to the item in question. "Not exactly the most approachable decoration. The nickname is free, by the way. Always a pleasure, my lady."

Maybe slapping him was a soft compromise.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

** Kingdom of Vale**

** Stark Residence**

** March 22nd, 57 AGW**

Tony's time in Vale was less as time passed. Although he most definitely preferred to live in the kingdom that his company was headquartered in, his business was conspiring to take him more to Atlas and Mistral. Not only did he have a personal place in the kingdom of ice, but he also had recently purchased a high rise in the City of Mistral. God, the names for some of these cities were so unoriginal. Capital cities should at least be given a name that actually distinguishes it from the kingdom it resided in, but it wasn't his call, so whatever.

Back to more important matters, the weapons dealer considered his current ventures and his primary sources of income. He had an active relationship with the councils of three of the four kingdoms. Vale represented his strongest tie with a kingdom. Atlas was second, although not too far behind. Mistral was third only because the operations there were on a much smaller scale.

The twenty-two year old's efforts to expand were paying off in spades. With an increasing presence in three of the four kingdoms on Remnant, a year of time saw Stark Industries reach levels of notoriety with the general public that was more closer to that of the Schnee Dust Company. Unlike the company who specialized in all things dust, the weapons dealer took great strides to make sure that people knew that his company created things that did damage to things.

One of the primary drawbacks of being a company focused specifically on arms and armament was that it favored a particular market and a particular demographic. While hiring efforts weren't terrible, it would appear that when it came to the average person, there was a serious disconnect in terms of relating to military servicemen and women and the hundreds of huntsmen operating around the world.

But on the other side, a considerable number of applicants for Stark Industries were often former military and retired huntsmen. These men and women knew about what it took to fight the Grimm and they were willing to lend their knowledge and expertise in the pursuit of weapons that could take out monsters with extreme prejudice. This unintended positive was doing wonders in accelerating the timetable for projects and deadlines were being met with astonishing speed.

The primary advantage that Stark Indusries held as a multinational corporation was that it offered products and services that were indispensable. The governments of the big four were perfectly aware of how effective weapons were when they carried the Stark name. Thus, it was becoming apparent that whoever had access to the latest and most innovative hardware and software were top dog.

Tony watched the rest of the world react to what he did with a hint of amusement. At this point, he had more than enough influence in the world to begin making some more subtle, but powerful moves. He couldn't have found himself in a better situation really. When locked in a bitter struggle for survival, people often didn't think too hard about who was providing the big sticks, just that the big sticks were made by the one and only.

The one thing that he needed to be mindful of was to make sure that at the end of the day, nobody got the bright idea of starting a war with someone else. That might make for a pretty cool movie to watch, it wouldn't work for his business interests. Cold wars, despite the tensions between nations were actually excellent environments for weapons manufacturers and that was more or less what Remnant was currently in.

The genius grabbed his custom coffee cup and took a sip of the liquid. It was still warm, which meant that he hadn't become too absorbed in his work. It must've only been about thirty minutes or so since he had first sat down.

He glanced to his right, noticing that his scroll had some alerts on the main screen. It looked like he had received some alerts from some of his more personal contacts. Finding time for these people was getting more difficult was each passing day, but he still always managed to squeeze in some time with them.

Penny was not just his apprentice. Tony considered her to be a sort of investment in the youth of this world. Not that he was much older than her, but through her, he might be able to entice young teenagers and young adults into his line of work. This was less of an official initiative and more of a concept for the future. The ginger-haired girl expressed approval for the idea and didn't show any signs of backing out.

Also of interest was that Ghira and Kali's relationship was going pretty well. They were now dating and it looked like things were only getting better for them. The CEO wouldn't say it, but he found their relationship to be pretty interesting to watch. If he could, he would bet money on them getting married because he believed in their compatibility that much. They just had so much in common and their personalities complimented nicely.

Ozpin was all business and no play. When it came to the wizard, the only thing that was certain was that he was up to something dastardly. As a member of the uber-secret brotherhood for maidens, he attended to keep up appearances. God, the way he said that in his head made it sound like they were perverted old men.

Ironwood probably wouldn't take too kindly to that notion.

Tony didn't much care for that idea either; he was many years away from middle age and even when he got there, he would still be sexy and awesome. While other guys his age would be lacking female attention, he would still be getting it and he would be unashamed of all of it as it kept coming for him. If the amount of women that looked his way right now was any indicator, he had quite a bit to look forward to. Yes, he was only petting his ego, but that's just what he did. It was literally in his job description.

And speaking of women, he couldn't help but think about Willow Schnee. It wasn't everyday that he snagged a high-class woman of that caliber, at least no on Remnant. While it was all well and good to hook up with fast and easy women, those were a dime a dozen. Women that were a part of high-class society were another story entirely. They had their pride and they were a little more challenging to conquer. That made sleeping with them all the more satisfying when they gave in.

To make sure that the wife of Jacque Schnee didn't forget him, he made a couple more discreet trips to "entertain" her. Each and every time, he made sure to do his best to make sure that she never forgot him and the third time, when he took his leave, he noticed from the corner from his eyes that she had his eyes on him very intensely. It was a sort of listless expression that indicated to him a mission success.

Now everytime he went to Jack Frost, he would be sure to smirk a little wider each time, secretly mocking his business partner for being incompetent at keeping his own wife happy and satisfied in all ways. He might as well be playing with a flamethrower, but goddamn did he really want to quietly rub it in the face of the SDC head.

As for jolly old St. Nick, Tony would probably be a little more careful around the old man. It didn't matter where a daughter came from. Whether or not she came from a wealthy family or a poor family, fathers had a tendency to be wary of men that approach their daughters, not that the weapons developer knew anything about it. It was just second-hand information from his friends in high school.

Maybe he would make it a habit to visit Atlas more often so he could be more frisky with all the lovely women there. That was about the only reason other than business that he even looked forward to visiting that hunk of ice.

Tony subconsciously grabbed a fist-sized dust crystal and held it in his right hand. Despite having aura, he had never taken any significant amount of time to learn about his newfound power. He merely had it and never used it, a wasteful opportunity according to his logical mind, but he simply had no use for it nor the interest to use it.

It would be easy to hire a professional or even get a student at Beacon Academy to help him. Still, he did nothing.

He did admit that physically, it made working on his own projects, professional and persona, a lot easier. He was able to lift more with less effort on his part, but that was about all he ever used his aura for and he wasn't even doing any of that with any conscious effort.

Oh well.

* * *

**RWBY - - - Iron Man**

* * *

Ghira Belladonna, at first, approached his relationship with Kali fairly conservatively. He was polite and a gentleman to the best of his ability. That was his general approach when it came to everyone he met. It had worked for him numerous times in the past and he saw no reason to stop.

But it didn't take him long to see that Kali Bellrose was much different than the people he usually found himself with. Although business with the White Fang had him travelling all around and seeing all sorts of different people, the one thing that each person he met had in common was a serious demeanor, some more intense than others, but for her, she seemed to have a much more friendly and open aura about her. Additionally, unlike his business acquaintances and friends, she didn't shy away from displaying more personal emotions immediately.

The best way that the White Fang member could describe her was spirited. She seemed to find a lot of amusement in a lot of things that most people wouldn't. She almost always had a way of making even the most dull things sound exciting. It was like she lived to breathe joy wherever she went, something he couldn't say that he knew how to do, at least not the way that she did so.

The more Ghira thought about her, the more that he realized that he had become interested in her very much, so he decided to take the next step and see where it would take him. Within a month of them meeting, he officially asked Kali to be his girlfriend. It had been a somewhat nerve wracking undertaking, but it was made a little easier thanks to Mister Stark, who clearly had more experience in dating and relationships than himself. But Ghira still breathed an internal sigh of relief when she said yes.

From that point forward, it was all about further developing their relationship. It didn't take long for the panther faunus to show more about his life in the White Fang to the cat faunus and the more she listened about what he was doing, the more that she became interested herself in being a part of the organization. This came as something of a surprise to him. He never doubted his girlfriend's capacity for kindness and compassion, but he certainly didn't anticipate her to work with him this much.

When Ghira asked Kali about her reasons as to why she wished to become involved in the White Fang, her reasoning was simple. She had been fortunate to have never been exposed to an environment where her faunus features resulted in discrimination. She was one of the lucky ones and she felt that perhaps it was now time to pay back that favor. If even one person was helped thanks to her efforts, she felt that it was worth it.

While he was most certainly pleased by this development, he cautioned her against the dangers of joining. Becoming a part of the group was going to lead to some hardships. It wasn't uncommon for there to be very heated encounters between the faunus activists and their opponents. Quite a few events had even turned physical. He had made this very clear to her, to which she responded with clear conviction. She was afraid, but she wanted to take action all the same.

Regardless of her bravery, Ghira felt that in the interest of Kali's well-being, he had her learn a few things about self-defense. Honestly, he hoped that she never had to use any of the things that she was taught, but he would feel terrible if he let her into the organization without giving her some means of protecting herself and then she got into trouble.

In any case, she was alive and well. The two of them showed their dedication to the White Fang and they were getting the attention of many people within the group. On their off time, they spent time together doing whatever came to them naturally. Honesty and trust was the foundation of their relationship and arguments between them were rare. When they did happen, it didn't take long for them to be resolved.

These were among his many thoughts as he was drilled by his drinking buddy about his relationship with his girlfriend.

"See, I have a knack for these types of things." Tony could only interpret all of this as a sign that he had done his friend a solid. "There's no need to thank me. I'm modest like that."

"I'm not sure if I would describe you that way." Ghira commented somewhat sarcastically for a moment. "All the same, why are you so interested in our relationship?"

"When I get involved in something, I want to see it through to the end." Tony shrugged with a cool face. "Sure, I don't fancy myself a dating coach or anything like that, but I have spent time and money on you guys. It's only natural that I want to see if the fruits of my labor paid off."

"I see." Ghira understood the businessman.

"So… you think it'll go further?" Tony probed. "Have you thought about putting a ring on that finger?"

"I think that's a little too soon." Ghira gave a look. "It hasn't even been a full year since we began dating."

"Oh, don't be such a prude." Tony's dismissal came swiftly. "Plenty of couples younger than you have married after having known each other for far less time. Some of them even stayed together for decades."

"I'm aware of that." Ghira said with some irritation. "But you must know that I'm not that kind of man."

"I hear you, Black Panther." Tony just shook his head with a modicum of laughter. "But it's going to happen. I guarantee it. I'd give it another year to three years."

If it were anyone else, the much larger name would have bristled at such a name, but considering that Mister Stark did love to call people by nicknames more often than their actual names, he was willing to make an exception.

"And what makes you so sure?" Ghira narrowed his eyes. "I thought you said that you weren't a dating coach."

"No, I'm better." Tony leaned back in his chair. "Call me God."

"I think not." Ghira drawled. "That would mean your ego could no longer grow."

"Nah, God is infinite." Tony reasoned, swishing the liquid in his glass. "That means that for all eternity, my greatness will spread."

At times, it baffled the panther faunus why this human was his friend. They shared very few traits in common. Personally, the idea of ever making friends with a narcissist was far from ideal friendship, but ideals almost never aligned with reality. They were professional partners firstly, but that relationship was backed by this one, the personal relationship which was free from the inhibitions of work life.

Ghira had seen Tony's public demeanor and it was nothing compared to the one that he used when he was talking serious business. His business face was that of a man who was all about getting down to it and not wasting a moment. He had objectives that he wanted to complete and he would negotiate for as long as he needed to in order to achieve his objectives while also ensuring a mutually beneficial partnership.

But maybe that was exactly why the two men had a strong relationship. They both wanted to accomplish big things and they were willing to put in serious effort and time to achieve what they wanted. Despite their outer differences, they both aspired to greater heights than normal people.

"Hey, buddy, you there?" Tony waved a hand in front of his eyes. "We're drinking buddies. You can't daydream… unless you're drunk."

"Then you must have considerable experience with that." Ghira commented, the effects of the alcohol beginning to take root. "Should I be worried?"

"I'm still alive." Tony began speaking in a slurred manner. "Just… watch me… as I TAKE OVER THE WORLD!"

"Um, are you two okay?" The bartender looked between the only two customers in his establishment. "You've already had quite a bit."

"We'll be okay." Ghira managed. "Somehow."

"I'm the KING!" Tony was half-sane, half off his rocker. "I bought this bar, fair and square and I'm going to buy all of Vale one piece at a time."

The rest of the night was spent consuming drinks much more slowly and trying in vain to maintain what little brain power was left in the tank. Thankfully, with the bar clear, the two customers could drown themselves in peace while the somewhat dismayed owner cleaned up the mess.

Ghira could only wonder what Kali would say if she found out about this.

Actually, he had a pretty good idea of what she would say.

She would probably laugh at him being drunk with Mister Stark. Most things in her eyes were either outright funny or amusing. Her playful side knew no bounds.

* * *

**Iron Man - - - RWBY**

* * *

Salem, despite remaining within her realm, which was isolated from Mankind and all of its civilizations, had eyes and ears all over. Of course she knew what was going on in the kingdom walls. The best way to defeat an enemy was to know them inside and out. Man could change and shift very quickly and for her plan to come to fruition, she needed to be aware of the powerful players on the world-sized board of chess.

Ozpin, the white king. He had more power than most people, yet he gathered unknowing pawns and moved them from place to place, ordering them to do his bidding. He had so many as well. A case could be made that the headmaster of Beacon Academy had the entire world effectively under his thumb.

But recently, one of the wizard's most recent pieces was beginning to gain traction in the world at large as well as Salem's personal interest.

Anthony Edward Stark, better known as Tony Stark. His very short appearance in the public world had made him something of a contentious figure. To some, he was hailed a hero and praised to no end. To others, he was a villain who was doing evil work. Whatever the opinion, it was clear that he was going to be important for many years to come.

Salem knew that this man was important for one reason. There was no way that Ozpin would let such a powerful person go do as he pleased. Whenever it came to her old lover, he would do anything and everything to acquire what Mister Stark had. It was simply in the nature of the wizard to do so.

One thing that the witch didn't have much of were details concerning the exact nature of the relationship between Ozpin and Stark. Her best conjecture was that based on how blatant that the latter was in his business endeavors, he was more than likely being rebellious in more than one way against his king. This was amusing, the idea that the former could maintain so much control over his underlings except arguably the most important one.

Undoubtedly, her plans would have to be changed in accordance with this sudden new desire for weaponry all around the world. It was her desire to let some more time pass and gather more individuals to recruit into her inner circle, but it would seem that she would have to consider accelerating her plans by a considerable margin.

Salem pondered on how to mobilize her Grimm in order to test the new variables that were against her. Weapons of mass destruction were problematic enough; with them possibly being all around the world now, she was now threatened in a way that she had not felt since the times of old.

Speed would be of the utmost importance, but she also needed to build up her forces while she continued to search for more information. Despite the threat that Stark posed, the relics were still of the utmost importance.

To that end, Salem needed pawns to get her the relics.

* * *

**THIS IS A GENERAL REMINDER TO ALL OF MY READERS. I WILL BE LEAVING FOR BASIC COMBAT TRAINING ON AUGUST 4TH. JULY, THIS MONTH, WILL BE THE LAST MONTH THAT I POST CHAPTERS FOR ANY OF MY STORIES. UPDATES WILL RESUME IF AND WHEN I AM ABLE. UNTIL THAT DAY COMES, EXPECT NO FURTHER UPDATES FROM THIS STORY.**

**So back to the story.**

**In keeping with the idea of completley diverting from canon, I had to at least hint at what Salem is doing. In the canon storyline, I've always wondered why Salem was taking so long to make her move. The only thing that makes sense was that she was biding her time to gather ideal pawns while her enemies became complacent. Then, she would strike with a perfect plan that no one would expect.**

**Now, with Tony in the mix, she can't afford to sit on her hands while he basically arms the world for war. In essence, our badass billionaire, genius, playboy, etc. has inadventently made things considerably worse by doing was he knows how to do now. What will happen next? Who knows?**

**And Maria will be given a more prominent role besides being someone who's just present and she will actually get to do things and be kind of important. Look forward to that too.**

**Thoughts? Opinions? Reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated.**

**Thanks for reading. Stay alive and keep moving forward. I'll see you guys on the other side.**

**-Ktyou**


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